Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 12

When Love Came Calling by Preeti Shenoy: A dose of positivity in these troubled times

Hey guys!

 How have you all been and how are you all coping with the Covid preparations in your city? Are you in lockdown? I hope you are following social distancing and taking it very seriously. Please be responsible citizens and do stay at home. Even if  you don't have it, you might be a carrier.

Try and focus on the positives. If you aren't on Instagram, hop on to the platform. You can choose to keep your account private and you need not even post anything if you don't want to! I find it is a good platform. If you don't know how to use it, watch THIS VIDEO
(click in highlighted words).


The reason I ask you to open an Instagram account is because I keep posting stories there throughout the day. They arestories that spread joy and hope, and I get a tonne of messages daily, thanking me for those stories. My instagram handle is preeti.shenoy and you will see a verified badge (a blue tick) next to my profile so you know its the right one


When you tap on the circle around my pic, you will be able to view my stories.

After my last post, things qucikly spiralled because of the COVID outbreak. We were supposed to launch our book cover in Mumbai, but we ended up doing it virtually.
You can watch the whole  video of the cover launch  HERE
My daughter  joined me and we unveiled it LIVE.

Here's the cover!



It's a young adult fiction, the core theme being: Sometimes you have to travel far to discover yourself.


It's the story of Arush, 20  and Puja 19. Arush is a British citizen and he has never travelled to India. Puja lives in Kochi. She is fiery but also confused and doestn't know what she wants to do with her life. Both are polar opposites .
To know more about thd book you can go to Preeti.io/love and read the synopsis.


ALL pre-orders (which means orders placed now) will be printed signed copies with a special message from me.
I feel quite proud of this book, as I think it is a dose of positivity in these troubled times. We're all stuck at home, and how much Netflix can one watch anyway!

I am reading a lot, painting and doing my fitness routine at home to keep myself healthy, physically and mentally.

What are you doing?
Tell me in comments!
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Ps: order  the book for a copy with my signature and a handwritten message from me
  preeti.io/love


Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Solve this crossword to get the name of Preeti Shenoy's next book!

Hello there!

How have you been and how is the onset of summer in your city? Bangalore (my home city) is warming up and I am prepared for a sizzling summer!

I have some exciting news for you. Those of you who follow me on social media already know this. But those who aren't on any, here goes!


My NEW BOOK releases on April 15th!

Solve the above crossword to get its name.
I shall be revealing the name very soon.

Meanwhile, please feel free to fill up my comment box with your guesses!

I shall give you the name soon.
Let's see what you come up with! :)
Love
Preeti



Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Last post of the blog marathon. 30 days, 30 posts :)

Today is the very last day of the blog marathon. Since I've also signed up for a #30faces30days challenge AND since I am also working really hard on my next book, this blog marathon was very stressful and hard. However  I am happy I managed to complete it. I think  my reader Usha Ganesh managed to comment on every single post--so thank you! Also thank you to all who left comments frequently--Usha, Alka, PK and a few more. (apologies if I left out your name).

This time around, I haven't been able to reply individually to comments--but be assured I read every single one and it was very encouraging. Had you not left comments, I would have felt a bit disheartened to get no reactions. So thank you. 

I leave you with a portrait I completed using colour pencils.


Will blog again soon.
Till then, many thanks for reading! My blog as well as my books.
Good night!


Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Anticipation.

Isn't anticipation better than the actual event that you're waiting for?  When whatever you are waiting for happens, there's nothing anymore to look forward to. It's all done. But when you are counting down the days, then there's a  heady rush of exhilaration, a reason to get out of bed, a pring in your step, and a hum in your heart.

I think it is these things that you look forward to, your rewards (however you define rewards)which makes life meaningful. It gives us a purpose, a sense of direction, a reason to exist. You eagerly wait. Since you know there is, for certainty, a reward at the end of your daily 'struggle', the struggle becomes lighter to bear.

I also think it is important to reward yourself for a job you have done well, and to create anticipation for yourself.

If I am in a philosophical mood, it is because I'm reading a dense non-fiction book. I find the author tiresome but there are a few takeaways. The one thing I cannot stand is pretentious writing, and the other is pontification. This book has both. I now wish I had chosen another book  to read as my first book of 2020. But now that I am halfway through it, I shall struggle and finish it :)

If you liked this post, I'd highly recommend the book Man's search for meaning by Viktor Frankl.


This is post 29 of the 30 day blog marathon. The last post is tomorrow!
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pic credit: Sam Mann on Unsplash
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Meet me at Kolkata, Mumbai and Bengaluru :)

November onwards, the lit fest seasons start. It's an opportunity for readers to meet their favourite writers, listen to some interesting (hopefully!) discussions, get their books signed, and mingle with other book lovers. The mood is celebratory.
My good friend and fellow writers and columnist Vinita Nangia has written an excellent piece about litfests and what they achieve. Do click HERE  to read it.

For writers too, litfests are a time to catch up with other writers. We work alone most of the year. It's during litfests, after the events and panel discussions are over that the real fun begins !  I enjoy meeting my fellow authors and chatting away about everything in the industry. It is only the established authors who get called for the litfests and hence it is a matter of homour and prestige. Many years back, when I wrote my first book, I didn't even think that I would get invited to International litfests. Now I have done so many litfests internationally, that I've lost count. I feel fortunate and blessed.

I have just been to the  Kolkata and Delhi lit fests by Times of India. Now I have been invited by AKLF (apeejay kolkata Litfest). I've also been invited by Juhu Lit fest Mumbai. I will also be at the Times of India lit fest Bengaluru. If you happen to be in any of these cities, please do come and meet me. The dates are as follows:

Kolkata: 19th January 2020: Apeejay Kolkata Lit fest
Mumbai: 8th February 2020: Juhu Lit fest
Bangalore: 9th February 2020: Times of India Lit fest

If you want to know the venue, details and other things please do fill preeti.io/form 
It's a short process and will take you less than a minute.  My team will then notify you, and you will get the details in your inbox.

Do come! I would love to meet you.

________________________
Day 28 of 30 day blog marathon!



Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

India--wake up ! Make your women strong!

The world economic forum releases a gender gap report every year, which benchmarks and quantifies the progress towards parity between men and women in four areas: educational health and survival, economic opportunity and political empowerment.  According to the 2016 reports released, the chasm is widening, globally. The discoveries are startling. The global workplace gender gap and economic parity between the sexes could take as many as 170 years to bridge, unless drastic measures are taken for correction.What is surprising is the imbalance in salaries and participation in workforce, considering that in 95 out of the 144 countries studied, women attend universities in equal or larger number than men.
The reports say that on an average, around the world, the women earn lesser than their male counterparts, even though they work longer hours. India ranks 87 out of the 144 countries ranked, with a gap of 68 percent, right among the bottom most countries.  India also makes it to a group of countries, which have made key investments in women’s education, but done little to remove the barriers for women’s participation in the workforce. The other countries that join India, in this group are Iran, United Arab Emirates and Chile. All these countries have a large educated pool of women and this resource is untapped.
Most educated stay-at-home mothers that I speak to tell me that they quit their jobs, because they want to be around their little ones, in the initial years. Some of them did it out of choice. Others did it because 'It's the done thing in their husband's families'. Then after a couple of years, it becomes almost impossible to join back the workforce. There are very few corporate offices in India, which provide a top class crèche facility where the parents can leave their babies. If such facilities are provided, it would encourage more mothers to join back workforce. The current options which Indian women have is either to extend maternity leave or take a career break. Taking a career break would also mean losing out on pay, and growth opportunities.
There is a growing awareness about this issue, and several corporates like Genpact and Intuit have specific programs in place, which make the transition  process of joining back the career, after a break, smooth.
But what about many women, who quit several years back, and whose companies do not have such measures in place?  Many of them start small business from home, like art classes, giving tuitions, baking , clothes boutique, pet grooming, financial advisors, personal trainers, fitness coaches, image consultants , graphic designers and many such. They freelance and get their business, mostly by word of mouth. While some of them are well versed with the Internet, most do not leverage the benefits which technology can bring.
Then there are a few sites where anybody who has any kind of home based business--- be in pickle making or filing tax returns--- can register on the site, free of charge. The key benefit to the home based entrepreneur would be that they get a unified platform to reach hundreds of potential customers, in their neighbour hood, in a trusted environment, apart from a strong web presence through a dedicated profile. All one has to do is to, create a profile, upload the services that you offer along with photographs, and it’s instantly listed. The key benefits? Zero investment, flexible timings and the woman can earn while staying at home.
While these measures are small steps in the right direction, the need of the hour is to take a leaf from the Scandinavian countries like Iceland, Finland Sweden and Norway, which are among the world’s most gender equal countries. These countries have policies that include mandatory paternity leave along with a combination of social insurance funds, employers tax incentives and post-maternity re-entry programs.
Making a woman financially independent increases her confidence and self-worth. A country can progress only its women progress. The sooner we realise this and take measures to make it happen, faster we will grow.

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Ps: My book The Rule Breakers deals with a young girl who is forced to give up a career, when her parents get her married.




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Another portrait.

For today's post, just a portrait of a lady and her cat. This is a part of Sktchy's #30days30faces challenge that I signed up for. We get a face in our inbox every day, and we make a portrait. More than a 1000 artists have signed up for this, and it is great fun.

Here's my portrait:


Come back tomorrow for a new post!
Today is Day 25 of a 30 day blog marathon.
____________________________
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Forgive--especially when it is hard to!

What does it take to forgive someone who has hurt you over and over? The easiest thing to say would be to cut them out of your life, and move on. But sometimes the one who has hurt you is a family member, an adult  child, a spouse, a sibling.

If it's an adult sibling or a parent or an adult child  who has hurt you,  and if  you too are an adult, then putting a physical distance between you might be the best solution. It is the first step towards forgiveness. When we are away, we get a perspective which we don't when we we are IN the situation.

If it's a spouse, then WAIT for a few days. Do not talk about it when you are in an agitated state. It takes a LOT of effort to smile when you are bristling with resentment.  Take a break from the issue, not from your spouse. Focus on what they did RIGHT.

I cam across a brilliant post from Brain Pickings, which I share here.


I loved the above.

Forgive. Especially when it is very hard to. You will be doing yourself a favour. A big one.
____________________________
This is day 25 of a 30 day blog marathon I am doing.
Come back for a new post tomorrow!

meanwhile check out my books: Preeti.io/amazon

Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Change is the only constant.

When we enter into a new partnership--be it a friendship or a business relationship, we're excited and optimistic. If no external circumstances change and no internal growth happens for both parties, and both put in equal effort, then the partnership continues for a long time. But often that's not the case.

People change. Things change. Situations change. What was once great might now seem unbearable. People who were your best friends might now seem distant. You might decide to let go of those who you no longer vibe with.

It's all a part of growth. Growth is painful. It is through pain that your understanding and empathy expands. I believe what Christian Barnard said--That suffering ennobles you. Oh it is hard! But it is also what makes us stronger.
Agree?
Tell me in comment box what you think of change, growth and pain, and whether you think it has made you a better person.
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ps: Check out my latest book: preeti.io/awakepreeti.io/awake
unsplash-logoChris Lawton
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

What's in it for me?

Most of us think from the point of view of 'what's in it for me.' This is how the human mind works.

This morning, I posted a question on my Instagram feed.


People who follow me on Instagram know that I post a story each morning, a short video of something interesting (mostly the greenery around my home, or a flower which bloomed etc) and say 'Wake Up Life is Calling.'
On days that I don't post, I would get tonnes of messages asking me if I am okay and why I didn't post.

The last few days, I have been really busy, submerged in the edits of my next book. Hence I haven't been posting. So today when I asked the question why I should restart, I got over a thousand  responses (I have shared many in my Instagram stories)  which were variations of the same thing: That they find it motivating, and they feel refreshed.

Not a single person told me what I would get out of it! (I mean, I don't get paid to create that content). It can be argued that I am promoting my book by saying it :)
But it isn't likely that someone will look at my video and say 'Oh let me buy that book as the videos of greenery she posts is good.'


Why do we share things on social media?

It  comes from a deep-rooted need to connect to others. It is also to make ourselves feel good. (Yes, I do feel happy to get messages of appreciation).

Like I said--Humans are selfish. We only think 'what's in it for me.'
What is in it for me is a surge of joy, knowing that my little video brought cheer to someone, made their day better!
New post tomorrow!
Meanwhile stay connected with me on Instagram  :)
Instagram.com/preeti.shenoy
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/