Anu Lal's Blog, page 27

Seize the Night

MeetingChristopher Snow was like meeting an old pal in the middle of Nowhere Street, in Somewhere City. He was strange and kind, benevolent and radiant, honest and robust, except that he had a rare genetic disorder. Hooligans in his neighborhood called him names that included ‘vampire’. It was not without a reason. His genetic disorder, Xeroderma Pigmentosum, would not permit him to come out in sunlight. If he disobeyed this dictum of nature, he would suffer dire consequences regarding his he...

The Credo of Laziness

Instead of accepting an invitation to attend a nuptial ceremony of a friend or neighbor, if I prefer to spend my time with a book, curled up in my chair, I would be named lazy. If I actually were lazy, would I be reading a book—one whole day?
This discourse keeps coming up, throughout the stages of growth, first as a feeling of guilt and then a rebellion. As a very young boy, I could not entirely comprehend the politics of laziness, especially its unfavorable status in the society. I never was...

The Facebook Paradox

Social media has become a cradle of paradoxes, lately. I remember an Abhishek Bachan advertisement, for a cellular company, in which the Bollywood actor asks, do you have more friends in your networking site than in real life?
If you have, then you must consider yourself an addict of social media.
Fortunately, the ad did not work too long, and many other versions followed this idea, perhaps, due to the slightly disturbing fact that most of us do have more friends in Facebook or twitter than in...

Theme Based Writing: A Taboo?

I published an article in TIC a week before titled “Where do Themes Come From?”, which pointed its major claims towards helping the writing student of a beginning writer to manage the days during or after a so-called writer's block, effectively. Whether ‘writer's block’ is a social reality or psychological state, I do not wish to comment. I do have experiences of psychological states where, as a writer, I felt immense fear and lethargy to move forward. Call this a ‘writer's block’.
Three idea...

The God Space

As Cyclone Phailin weakens in its murderous parade, leaving behind a trail of destruction and loss, let us thank the benevolent forces in nature, seen and unseen, manifestations of the highest beings, for sparing the rest of us, safe and unaffected. Let us also pray that those who lost their beloved ones and those who lost their properties, of this world, may find peace of mind. May they all receive blessings in immense quantities, and may by this storm, like the wise ones say, doors of new p...

Signs: A Film Review

I do not intend to show mercy, but there are spoilers ahead. See, who said I am not caring? Signs is an American Science fiction film released in 2002. In this third movie by M. Night Shyamalan, aliens invade the earth and after a crucial conflict, suddenly disappear, or as it seems from the movie, backed off into their mysterious realm. Signsis unlike many celebrated films in the genre, like the Independence Day (1996) and Men in Black series, in having not many shots fired or aircrafts burnt...

Inside a Writer

Ohmy God! I desperately wanted to finish that story. Look! I have abandoned it. I had been working on it for the past one month. It’s been six weeks since I haven’t touched it. Would I be able to resume it? How could I do justice to the story, now, after such a long time of discontinuation? I do have some notes made from the times, while I worked on the stuff. Would those notes be of any help anymore?  Image Courtesy: GoogleIt is clear to me how vague the classification of writers would b...

Beware of Marketing Executives

No assault on any profession intended. 
A thought had lingered on my mind about sending one of my latest articles to a local newspaper. This was nothing new. All such thoughts have the same and never altering source of origin--my desire to make a living by writing. Living by pen. Grand as it sounds, it has many pitfalls and the main one of which I realized lately, through this experience.
On a particularly lazy Thursday noon, a well dressed and stout individual marched through the staffr...

Where Do Themes Come From?

If you are a writer, or blogger, finding themes for you works is crucial. In order to maintain a steady flow of material is the hardest task any one can handle. It not just what your themes are, but it is also about where and how to find them. I have decided to share this article with you, so that you too can make use of the wisdom in it, in order to fulfill the call of your destiny—that is—writing.  Image Cour...<![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]></div>

Mapping the Types

“Asia…is introverted, Europe extroverted,” (186) Susan Cain quotes Robert McRae, the research psychologist, who mapped the world in terms of personality types. When I read this page from Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop Talking , I almost tripped upon the racist idea of ‘the chosen few’ in my mind. However, with her real life case studies and examples Susan Cain substantiates her argument quite effectively.
In Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can’t Stop T...