Preethi Venugopala's Blog, page 27

The Poison of Your Love

Image SourceWhy do I feel so forlorn when I hear that you are 

continents away?

Why is the pit of dread in my stomach 
becoming unbearable by the second?

There is this thought, that little voice in 
the back of my head that tells me, 
you have forgotten me.

There exists no chord in the strings of
your heart that sings my name.

The ravages of time, 
the flight of memory has torn down
the resistance of that stubborn sinew.

You are not haunted by my name, 
you don't even realize how much 

that truth is tearing me apart
I loathe this teary existence, I grieve my
lost innocence. 


You have tainted my blood with the poison of your love.

Every second reminds me that I am losing

yet another day when I have failed to be near you.

The lantern of hope is now beginning to
smoke dark fumes, 

the love that kindled it, is long exhausted.
I know this and only this,

I can never be the same again, Without You.

The Wordle or the Word Cloud of The Lively Library

Today is day 6 of my Blog Marathon. I am doing a book spotlight today.

I am a bibliophile and books are my entire world. So when I hear that one of my favorite newbie writers is coming out with a young adult romance novella, that too about books, naturally I became excited. 



Niranjan Navalgund has a multifaceted persona. He is a young chess professional and derives great pleasure in learning about life through the game of chess. He is a former National U-17 Chess Champion and a Commonwealth Silver medalist in the U-18 Category. He has been conferred with ‘Indradhanushya’ (2007) ‘Giants International Award’ (2009), ‘Kreeda Ratna’ Award (2010) and ‘Belgaumite of the year’ Award (2012) for his achievements in the field of Chess. He is a lover of words and occasionally tries his hand at writing stories and poems. He believes that writing is a wonderful exercise for the soul. Being a bibliophile, he harbours a special interest in the New Age Philosophy. Unusual stories excite him. He hopes to visit the Panda Zoo, someday. Niranjan lives with his family in Belagavi.

Read his interview on this blog here.

So, about the book. The book is titled 'The Lively Library and an Unlikely Romance.' Interesting, right?


Blurb:

Unknown to Nayan, the library he inherits from his deceased father, is a mysterious place. Hiriya Halepu, Pu.Nayaka, Kapshi and and many others live there. They have a secret world with celebrations, romances, pangs of separation and conflicts. This is the Book-World. As two souls in this world fall in love, they encounter a strange predicament that separates them from each other. Things go from bad to worse when an unknown enemy sends a threat of destruction to this whole mysterious world. They call their resolute protector, Helmine, who unravels many unknown facets of this world, in an attempt to save it from the danger. The lovers struggle to find each other, and Helmine tries hard to decipher the threat messages. But will she be able to save this world from destruction? Will the two souls in love be united? There are no easy answers. Because this is no ordinary Library, this is the place where books come to life.

Now that you have got acquainted with the wordle or the Word Cloud of The Lively Library, let me give you links where you can know more about it. The book releases on July 9 on online stores and offline stores as well. The book is being published by Readomania, and that itself tells me that the book will be well edited.

Links: 

www.facebook.com/thelivelylibrary
www.twitter.com/lively_library
www.instagram.com/thelivelylibrary

All the best, Niranjan.

Pause, Breathe and Live

On a cloudy Sunday evening when I went for a walk, I clicked this photo. The sun was setting and it created this beautiful rainbow on the rainclouds that matted the sky in the east. The beauty of it made me pause. It is nowhere near how it really looked. 

The creativity of God amazes me every time I look skyward. I am awed by the magnificence of it all.

Science explains that a rainbow is formed when the water droplets in the rainclouds act like a prism and scatters the sunlight. But imagine how many droplets would be part of creating this stunning rainbow. What is the magic behind its beauty? A perfect synchronisation, a dance of love between the flirting beams of sunlight and the coy raindrops. A fairy waving a magic wand to delight a child. Whatever it is, it is a sight to behold.

I spent almost fifteen minutes just watching it. All the while, hundreds of people passed by. I wanted to tell each one of them to pause and watch it. I might have been labelled a lunatic. So I watched out for kids. They wouldn't mind. But none came my way during the entire time the rainbow dazzled in the sky. Maybe they were glued to their electronic gadgets.  

This is the sad truth. We are always rushing to complete our chores. Forgetting to pause. To breathe. To Live. I think we should stop doing that once in a while. Stop and look up. Listen to nature. The creator sends messages in myriad ways. Like this rainbow. 

Rainbows remind us of many things. It tells us that every dark cloud doesn't represent a storm. It might also bring forth something as beautiful as a rainbow. Or that every storm is followed by a rainbow. Or that there is a pot of gold buried at the end of it? Or that life is like a rainbow, it requires both the sun (happiness) and the raincloud (sadness) to make its colours appear.

Stop by the garden to smell the flowers once in a while. Listen to the birdsong. Watch the birds fly across the sky at twilight. Watch the twinkling stars from your terrace. Bathe in the moonlight. Take a dip in a river. Feel the kiss of the evening breeze.

Wishing you many many such tiny joys, dear reader. 

Forgiveness Ritual

Forgiving is an act of courage. More than that, it is a gesture of kindness towards yourself.
When we hold on to a past hurt, we remain a prisoner of the persons who hurt us in the first place. We grant them what they wished for. We give them the power to continue to hurt us for eternity.
Most of us mistake forgiveness as acceptance or condoning the actions of the persons who hurt us. It is not.

Forgiveness is the process of releasing the toxic emotions and thoughts associated with the person or event that you wish to forgive. These emotions are harmful to our psyche and body. By forgiving, we are becoming emotionally detached to the pain caused by the event or person.What is important to know about forgiveness is that it heals the mind and the body. Suppressed emotions are the harbinger of diseases in the human body. What begins as hurtful thoughts manifests as diseases in our body.
So how can we forgive someone who wounded us deeply?
1) Open up:
The first and foremost step is to accept the fact that you are hurt. Pretending that it does not matter when, in fact, you are wounded deeply will not help. Tell the story to a sympathetic listener. Open up and confess how much emotionally or physically hurt you felt at the moment. Express your anger and let it all out. Vent about it through writing if you don't trust anyone enough to confess your innermost feelings.
2) Understand what happens when you relive the hurt:
Every time we relive a particular event or remember the person, our memory triggers the creation of the same chemicals and hormones that had been created by our brain when you had undergone it in the first place. You allow yourself to get hurt every time you remember it. It is like reopening a wound to see if it has healed completely. Don't you want freedom from that pain?
3) Be willing to forgive:
When we think about something that happened in our past, we are getting connected to it or the person who caused it by an energy cord. In the act of forgiving, we are cutting that energy cord which keeps us chained to those painful memories. When you realise that you want freedom from these chains, you become willing to forgive. Do not force yourself to forgive someone. Give yourself time. But realise that the sooner you forgive, the sooner you embrace peace and well-being.
4) The forgiveness ritual:
The enlightened beings or gurus understood the importance of forgiveness. There are many methods to forgive.I find the Hawaiian ritual of forgiveness very effective.
a) Hawaiian ritual of forgiveness
Imagine yourself standing on a stage. Feel a white light enveloping you like a spotlight. This is the cosmic energy or God's energy. Let this light bathe you and heal you. Now, imagine the person you need to forgive entering this spotlight. Let the same energy bathe him/her. Become aware of an energy cord that connects you to this person. Tell this person that you have forgiven him/her. Ask for forgiveness, thank the divine. Now cut the energy cord by intention and affirmation and imagine the person leaving the white light. Feel the positive vibe you feel.
What you are doing through this process is allowing your mind to let go. It is affirming that we are not a victim anymore. Repeat it as often as you find it necessary.
b) Affirmations:
 Affirmations can be written down or spoken out loud. Affirmations are a method of self-hypnosis. You have to repeat this at least 10 times like a mantra. Writing it down in longhand on a paper is far more effective.
A typical form of forgiveness affirmation is given below.


I have used these techniques many times. Trust me, it felt like a heavy load was off my chest.Try it if you need to forgive someone and move on.Do tell me of other methods that you might be practising.

Try Everything!

This song by Shakira has become my anthem. It silences my insecurities and shouts out the affirmations that I need to believe in.
Today I wish to talk about the process of creating a novel.
Becoming a novelist is a dream for many. Writing 50K-80K words to tell a story is not a joke. Those who have attempted and failed would agree with me. The ones, who never began, will never know the delight of holding the paperback of their own book.
When you begin, you have grand plans; you are pumped up with energy. You have done your research and have plotted the entire story. 2000 words a day and the novel will be ready in a month. Then life interferes. Naysayers try to detract you. Critics pull you down. The ones who failed tries hardest to ensure you don’t climb that elusive ladder of success. And if you do, they will try to drag you down with all their might.
As it is, the task of creation itself demands much of your energy and enthusiasm. The negativity that we face from these people, sometimes, envelops us in a mist of self-doubt.
What can we do during such a time?
Try everything to get back that initial enthusiasm. Take a break. Work on your craft. Invest time to read more books in the genre that you are writing. Read books that don’t fall in your category. Get out of your comfort zone and try new things. Fail, but start again. Reel in the darkness trying to string together words but stick to it with stubbornness. Allow the characters to tell their story through you. Be open to imbibe words, the magical beings that journey across the cosmos to create a new world. A world owned by your protagonists.
Stick to your timings to write. Make it a daily ritual. Words will begin to flow. If they don’t, persist till they obey you. There are no greater friends than words. They can soothe you like the best balm in the world. But they can also drown you in angst. Tantalizing and tormenting the writer playing hide-n-seek is what they do best.
Remember that no one has ever achieved anything without failing. If you wait for your sentences to sound perfect every time you write, you will never tell your story. First drafts are always crap. It is the subsequent drafts that mould and polish your story. Stick at it with patience and you will have your masterpiece ready.
Whenever you feel that you are failing, go ahead and listen to this song. Trust me, it will pep you up.

Why I think Creativity is like Aviyal

Image SourceCreativity is often a stroke of serendipity. Just like Aviyal. My favorite vegetable curry. Let me explain.

There are many stories behind the origin of this flavorsome curry which is considered the king in any feast in Kerala. My favorite among them is that it was Bhima who first prepared this curry. Sage Durvasav, who was known to have a short temper, arrived after the Pandavas had finished their meal and demanded food. Fearing his wrath, Bhima, who was a good cook put together this new curry with leftover vegetables. The sage loved the meal and blessed the Pandavas. 

Avial tantalises all your taste buds. It is sweet, salty, sour and bitter. The presence of bitter gourd, yoghurt, and carrots ensure that none of the taste buds remain forgotten during the meal. Vegetables are cooked al dente to retain all nutrients. A ground paste of coconut, cumin, onion, ginger and garlic blended with yoghurt spices up the flavor by several notches. The curry is then seasoned with coconut oil and curry leaves. 

Isn't creativity just like this? Life offers a mix of sweet, bitter and  sour experiences which sometimes brings forth salty tears. We experiment with stuff. Some succeed and others don't. Then one day, we take the lessons gained from all these experiences, blend them and create something new. And it becomes your masterpiece.

So to all of you trying to create your masterpiece. Let all the flavors of your life fuel your imagination to create an Avial. It won't ever disappoint you.

Good night and a new start

Image Source
Of late, I am not blogging much. And I decided to change that. It is 11.53 when I start writing this post and I am going to blog a few lines daily.
Today was a good day in all. As usual, it started with my husband, who my son has nicknamed as the family rooster, waking me up. Both of us, me and my son, always beg for that extra minute but the rooster always persists till we get out of the bed.
As I was sick the last two days, I had little more help from the man of the house today and after bundling off the naughty kid to school I slept to regain my energy. The sleep did its magic and I even met my favorite author, Elizabeth Gilbert, in my dreams.
As always her presence though it was in a dream cheered me up. Later on, on Facebook, I read with a heavy heart that her marriage of 12 years had broken up. Though I felt sorry for her, I was in awe of her courage to face the numbness that loss of love brings. I had read earlier in an article that the divorce numbers were increasing because women were becoming more aware of their rights and were no longer ready to be the submissive slaves of their husbands. They were stopping putting themselves last. A good beginning I believe.
But the heartache of a failed relationship does leave an imprint on the individuals who were part of it. If they had given it their all to nurture it, the shriveling up and dying will leave them shattered.It is already 12. Let me post my bedtime rumination now.

See you tomorrow.

I fall in love again

Image Source
Rain with its cold, silver fingers caresses my face seducing me with the fragrance of petrichor. I plead for your warmth. Your touch summons a storm of wondrous sensations. Your lips curve. The syllables of my name arise from them stoking alive a secret fire within me. Like an unanswered prayer, it hovers to my mind’s altar paralyzing my senses.
Time stills as you pull me into an embrace. Nothing this world offers tastes better than your kisses. My soul rejoices in your presence.
 You have adorned our cocoon with sprays of red roses and blooms of fiery carnations. You tell me the wavy edges of the carnations remind you of me. Something about them whispers innocence. But how do you connect me with innocence?
Agreed; I rarely remember the darkness of those alleys from which you rescued me these days. Your love has purified me in entirety. No one barges in to claim my flesh. I do not hide under masks of garish makeup. My skin glistens with the sheen of happiness.
The sindoor that you smear in the parting of my hair every morning reminds me I am the mistress of this home. The laughter of our daughters strengthens my faith. I open my notebook to jot down the precious memories. One day, our daughters should know the truth. It will teach them the power of prayer, the heartfelt call for help that always gets answered. Our story that is coming alive in these pages resembles a blistering medieval romance, with all the gore and drama. The one that shines through every line is you, my knight of honor.
You laugh when I call you by that name. And I fall in love again… one more time.



 This story is written for Indispire prompt With all your senses, "Fall in Love - One more time"

Charcoal Portrait of Nazriya Nazeem

 Completed a charcoal portrait after a long time.
Hope you all like it.

Charcoal Portrait

13 quotes from Harry Potter that will touch your heart

This February I purchased the entire book set of Harry Potter series and spent a whole month re-reading my favorite book series. This time, I found some real gems hidden inside the pages of these well-loved books. These are some of the quotes which left a mark on me.