Preeti Shenoy's Blog, page 37

Guests or pests? (post 11)

My post for today is my newspaper column that appears every Saturday in The Financial Chronicle. Enlarge and read, or go HERE

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Possesive much? (Post 10)

A splendid book that I am read, called The Tamil Story, a collection of  88  Tamil short stories  from the last hundred years, translated into idiomatic English, showcases the society, the human emotions and the rich literature of the language, in a wonderful way. While the societal beliefs, norms, customs and traditions have evolved and changed over the years, what remains constant , never changing, ever-present are the human emotions.
A story I found particularly interesting, written in 1920 is by Subramania Bharathi, the well-known poet, freedom fighter, activist, writer ,journalist and social reformer from Tamilnadu. The story titled Railway Station, talks about a young Muslim man, in a dilemma as he was forced to marry three sisters, who were now fighting among themselves for his affection. The young man says that life is a living hell because of them. If he buys a silk blouse for one of his wives, the other one tears up hers, demanding the same. If he buys a jewel for one of them, the same story repeats. Each of them cannot stand it when he speaks to others. The young man finally concludes that the only solution would be to divorce two of the women and ‘set them free’. After the story was published in the newspaper, one of the readers wrote to Bharathi, saying that it was not a norm among Muslims to get married to sisters. Bharathi immediately apologised stating that all he was trying to do by writing the story, was propagate progressive ideas.
The sisters in the fictitious tale grapple a real problem---possessiveness in a relationship. When we enter into a deep relationship with someone, we want all of his or her time, attention and affection. The thought of someone else taking what we perceive to be ‘rightfully ours’ becomes an unbearable thing that haunts you, stealing your peace.‘What if my partner finds that other person more attractive and interesting than me, and hence discards me?’ or ‘Why can’t my partner be happy with me? Why does he/she need that other person at all?’ are questions which the possessive partner grapples with. It stems from a feeling of inadequacy.

The above is an extract from a newspaper column I wrote a few months back.
What do you think you can do to solve this problem of possesiveness? Do you think it is okay? How much of it would you be willing to tolerate? Do you find a possesive partner 'cute' or do you hate it? Are you okay if your spouse talks every day for an hour  or more to a person of the opposite sex? 
Tell me your thoughts in my comment box.
 

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Life goes on (post 9)

What an EXHAUSTING day today turned out to be. The old lady downstairs passed away. She was 83. I went to pay my last respects. There were many mourning. I stayed  for a while, comforted them and came back/.

Sometimes I think what matters really is not your wealth or status or prestige. It's the memories you leave behind.

Even though the day started not-so-well, I am content. Very very content. I shall share that news another time (it's too soon yet to share) but I am excited about it.

I got a lovely letter today. I share it here (with permission)


This is the thing about life. It goes on no matter what. It throws up little surprises every now and then, like the one above And during the time of our existence, we MUST make lots of happy memories, so that when we go, those whose lives me managed to touch, still remember us, and keep us alive.


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Wordless Wednesday no. 52 -Happy womens day!

It's been a while since I did a wordless wednesday

So my post for today is a picture clicked this afternoon, when I went out, and the restaurant gave me a complimentary Sangria for women's day!  :)
Happy women's day to all the wonderful women in our lives!


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The No relationship (post 7)

The No relationshipPreeti Shenoy
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Nothing in commonNo exchanges No glancesNo conversationNo smilesNo connectionNo hugsNo touchingNo waitingNo giftsNo desireNo caringNo interestNo hatredNo loveNo laughter
No freedom Bound by apathyAnd promises Made in ignoranceThe No-relationship chugsStronger than everRunning on parallel tracksNo destination in sightNo end either.
© 2017 Preeti Shenoy

 For more poems click here. Some poems have already appeared in print. Kindly do not reproduce without permission.

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Have you met Aniket? (post 6)

Today's post is about Aniket. Have you met him?  Do you know anyone like him? Or if you are a guy, are you like him?
(Do watch the above video--It's a 30 second introduction to Aniket)

I had shared the above video on facebook, and I got an interesting response from a reader. This is what he said.

You can see my reply too.

The Hindu had given my book an excellent review, praise which is hard to earn if you write commercial fiction. I quote from the article:

Shenoy’s book, on the other hand, is a pleasant discovery. Her deft handling of a nicely rounded and original plot is impressive. Chance brings a 30-something woman, Nidhi, and a 20-something man together, and they become friends. Shenoy gives us complex characters with complicated lives, and her handle on different kinds of relationships is strong. Her writing is simple; too simple in fact, with almost no layers and subtleties. All of the punch, then, lies in the story and its insights. You find yourself rooting for her protagonists, and feeling none of the irritation of reading about damsels in distress.

And today I also took a screen-shot of the reviews on amazon:


Any author feels great when they get terrific reviews.
For me, this was especially great, as this book wasn't easy to write. There was a lot going on in my personal life at that time.
Hence, this victory feels  even more sweet.
(Incidentally the book has already sold more than 40,000 copies since release)

If you are one of those who contributed to the success, a hearltfelt thank you.


That's me right now :)

See you tomorrow!
And yes, if you haven't yet read it, here's a GREAT offer. 
Goodnight my lovely reader.
I will meet you again tomorrow.
Don't forget to leave me comments, tell me your thoughts about the book. (but don't give away the ending or the plot twists please!)
lots of love
Preeti
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Why you should watch a good movie (post 5)

One can learn a lot through Cinema. Correction---One can learn a lot through good cinema. A good movie contains such a lot. You see a whole new world that you never saw before. Just like  a good  book does , you immerse yourself in the microcosm of the experience, transporting yourself to a different dimension, through the characters.

How does one determine what is 'good' and what isn't? As movie tastes are very subjective.

For me, what usually works are the IMDB ratings. 
Occasionally  there have been times, when a movie is rated very low on IMDB, but I have liked it. Sometimes, I feel a movie hasn't got the rating it deserved. Since it is a user driven algorithm, it tends to cater to most people's tastes.

A good film can be a deeply moving experience. We learn to empathise. We travel to different cultures without leaving our seats. We get to see the situation from many perspectives. Above all, if you absorb the lessons that a good movie is trying to impart, it helps you grow.

Two really good movies that I saw  over this weekend were Lion (which is based on the true story of Saroo Bierly) and Magic of Belle Isle.

Do try and watch both. Both are powerful tales.

If you have any movie recommendations for me, which are rated above 7.5 on IMDB, please let me know in the comment box! (am always looking for good movies to watch. I have seen all the 'must see' ones like Shawshank, pursuit of happiness, bucket list, bridge to terabithia, life is beautiful, green mile, In Bruges etc. So don't tell me those ones. If you have others, please tell me. Would love to know).

That's it folks. I am off to read this lovely collection of short stories by Fredrick Forsyth a master story-teller. I am half way through the book and liking it very much.

Hope your Sunday was terrific and you are recharged and all set to face Monday!
See you tomorrow!
_____________________________
check out http://preeti.io/a
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Do our children need this? (post 4)

My post for today is my newspaper column in the Financial Chronicle.

Enlarge the image to read---or if you are unable to do that you can go here.

Good night folks. See  you tomorrow!
Don't forget to share your thoughts with me, in my comment box. What do you think of this undue pressure that we put on kids? Is it worth it? Does your academic performance truly determine what you do in life or how well you do?
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ps: check out my latest book: http://preeti.io/a 
Grab It's All In The Planets: http:/preeti.io/3
http://preetishenoy.com/

Reward yourself.(Post 3)

My last two posts were about pushing boundaries and motivating yourself.

But how often do you reward yourself? I think it is very important to. We are so often caught up in the DRAMA of life, that we forget about taking time off for ourselves, to do something just for us, that makes us happy.
We think it is selfish to put our needs first. If you are a parent, you sacrifice your comfort all the time, and put the needs of your children above your own needs.  If you are a child (even an adult child), we do things that make our parents happy, and many a time, we compromise on what we truly desire or want.

So every now and then, be KIND to yourself. Do one thing every single day that makes YOU happy. Do something that gives YOU joy. Take out time for yourself.
It can be something simple, like spending time relaxing, or going out for a cup of coffee with a friend, or even taking time out to read a good book!

For me, that thing I do for myself is my art. I do illustrated journalling. Check out my work on my Instagram art page, if you want to see what I do.

So how are you going to pamper yourself this weekend?
Tell me your plans in my comment box. If you care to share, I am listening.
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ps: If you enjoy my posts, you will definitely enjoy my books. Check out my latest http://preeti.io/a


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Motivate yourself. (Post 2)

So, did you push your boundaries? Did you keep up the first day of  the challenge you set yourself? If you have no idea what I am talking about, see my previous post. 
I was very happy that I motivated so many people to take up the challenge.

Today I wished my dad's closest friend, as it is his birthday. He is in his eighties, but is so fit,  so active and extremely articulate and well-read. You can converse with him for hours.

Today is also the birthday of Dr.Suess. I have read almost all his books over and over, countless times to my children, when they were toddlers.  Secretly I too enjoyed reading them. I think there is a lot you can learn from children's books. I don't mean the ones with morals (I dislike those.). I mean the poignant,  well-illustrated  ones which on the face of it seem like a simple story, but  are actually deep, when you think about them. Often they elucidate a philosophical concept.

These are some  of my favourite Dr.Suess quotes:

Today you are you! That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.
Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.
A person's a person, no matter how small.
You're off to Great Places! Today is your day! Your mountain is waiting, So... get on your way.
Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened.
Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind.
Sometimes the questions are complicated and the answers are simple.Think left and think right and think low and think high. Oh, the thinks you can think up if only you try!

  I do believe that age is all in the head. I came across a video of a 80 year old woman, Ernestine Sheperd who is a body-builder! I urge you to watch it. (It's a 2 minute 45 second watch) I  am sharing  it here.




If she can do it at 80, all of us really have no excuses!

A LOT of people ask me what I do for my fitness. I walk an hour and 40 minutes every day! I also do Ashtanga Yoga for about 45 minutes. 

That's me. Pic clicked two days back.Fitness is something very important to me. The thing about fitness is that it becomes addictive, once you get used to it.



If you don't have any kind of exercise regime, I urge you to start one right away. Start small. Start by walking 20 minutes a day, like Aniket!
Listen to music or listen to an interesting podcast while walking. Or simply observe the neighborhood.

Do it even on the days you don't feel like. After 10 days of doing this daily, you will feel that something is amiss if you don't go for your walk.

I am off now for my walk! (I walk an hour in the morning and 30-40 minutes  at night)


Leave me comments and tell me your exercise routine.
Gnite folks. See you tomorrow!
Love
Preeti



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