Dear Zindagi

Dear Zindagi,

I am no poet that I can pen down a poem dedicating you. Still today I'm blogging about all those simple things you have gifted me throughout my journey with you which keep me alive and whose presence make my life worth living:

* Walk under moonlit sky- from childhood I have fascination towards full moon night and spent many such nights playing with my cousins in village house, doing many naughty things. Nowadays I don't get village house or company of my playgroup but still I manage to spend quality time walking under moonlit sky to find happiness.

* Wife's chicken curry- my better half knows exactly how to make any man water by her cooked chicken curry. I think if saints of satya yuga were there today they too would water and feel greedy. No jokes but the secret which she never reveals even to me must be very special and I only know her chicken curry is good enough to make me happy.

* Memory of grandmother's fairy tales- In our joint family village house, grandmother used to narrate fairy tales of prince, princess and demons while we group of 12-13 kids used to gather to cherish those tales in the late evening and now such opportunity is not available but the memory still makes me happy.

* My daughter's hug after I return home in the evening- it acts as a mind relaxant and I feel the warmth of my family and my place in their hearts. It is a routine thing which never loses its flavor before me and I look forwards to it the whole day.

* Maternal grandfather- he is 104 years old now still he can take care of himself and talk meaningful. He can no more visit us although when I give him a visit once in a month or two, as we were very close since beginning, he gives me a welcome smile full of life and hope and that makes me very happy!

* Clock striking 5 PM evening- I get liberated from my office and happy faces of my family members float in my imagination, my wife winking at me, daughter hugging me and mother quenching her son's thirst. It is not that I hate my office or I feel out of place but the moment clock strikes five I feel time to shift to top gear and touch highway. There is no doubt I love my family more than office.

* A Thanks from a satisfied customer- in rush hours of office everybody sweats and loses temper, sometimes not cooperating and behaving so nicely with each other, be it staffs or clients. So amidst all chaos and formalities when a customer leaves my desk with a natural smile direct from his heart and a “thank you” I feel elevated and it truly makes me happy.

* Morning tea- I am totally tea loving guy and my morning will never start without a cup of strong tea. Due to weight issues I was taking green tea for six months but it was only due to health reasons and never from mind. So a decent morning tea makes me happy and acts as a perfect launch pad for my daily life.

* Cuckoo's song- In childhood we used to spot singing cuckoos hidden behind tall tree leaves. We used to compete among cousins. Till now a tune of a cuckoo bird hidden behind leaves makes me happy.

* Travel plans- travel plans in daughter's school vacations make me very happy as we all stay close to one another for few days, no office, no worries and moreover I love exploring nature and new places.

* Ice cream- I am fond of chocolate ice cream bars and cornetto. Even in winters I take ice cream. When I was in school I stole money from father's parse to buy ice cream from the wheeler outside school gate. The sense of ice over my teeth and tongue gives me heavenly relaxing mood. I like the thrill of biting through ice. Nowadays so many types ice creams available in market. But I love those chocolate ice creams with a stick which I bought after school. Ice cream makes me peppy.

* Chocolate- by chocolate since childhood we know only Cadbury because other brands were not much available in our place. It is different thing that nowadays many chocolate imported packets you get everywhere, but, in our childhood we did not have much choices. So I love diary milk and its sweet plus bitter taste gives me adrenaline rush. It boosts up my mood and makes me happy. I like toffees too but not as much as chocolate bars.

* Uncle- my uncle is a very benign loving father like human being who loves me very much. Sometime he visits my house and his company makes me happy. He is a perfect motivator and guide in my life.

* Chicken Pakoda by mother- I take chicken pakoda from many food courts but the one my mother cooks is beyond imagination. It is too good in taste and once you take you'll come to our house again and again to find happiness in your life like mine.

* Wife's morning kiss- the first kiss my wife gives in morning while handing over the newspaper makes my day. Our is an arranged marriage so the romance started late of marriage and I'm having the magical feeling for her everyday since last 10 years.

Frankly I do not know how to express my gratitude towards you. Please take this letter as my warm gesture and do keep in touch as always.

Yours faithfully,

Me

I am writing a letter to life for the #DearZindagi activity at BlogAdda

Eating Better doesn't mean opting blindly for a crash diet

By balanced healthy diet we mean a diet that gives our body the nutrition it needs to work optimally. Our daily calorie intake should be based on age, gender, and the level of physical activity. As the common sense goes, men would generally need more calories than women, and active people need more than sedentary people. Interestingly, the source of our daily calories is equally important as the number of calories we consume. Consumption of empty-calories (those that provide little or no nutritional value) should be strictly restricted in a healthy balanced diet. A healthy balanced diet is important because our body’s organs, tissues and cells need proper nutrition to function efficaciously. In the absence of a balanced diet, our body is more susceptible to disease, infection, weakness, sub-optimal functioning, growth problems and developmental delays in children! Rising trend of chronic diseases like diabetes, stroke, heart problems, cancer etc is the result of lack of affinity for balanced diet. Our balanced diet must incorporate- fresh seasonal fruits, green leafy vegetables, whole grains, adequate proteins, low fat dairy products and polyunsaturated oils. A combination of fruits and vegetables usually provides most nutrients and vitamins required for our body's metabolism. Whole grains contain much more nutrients than our foolishly preferred refined grains. Low fat meats, especially when the skin is peeled off save us from excess cholesterol intake along with protein. Proteins help us to develop our muscles. Protein includes not only meats but many vegetarian options like- peas, beans, lentils, walnut, soy products etc. Fat-free dairy products are quite healthy and good source for calcium and vitamin D which are essential for our bone health. We have to be very careful that our diet must not contain unnecessary fats and sugars. Health is wealth and a healthy balanced diet is the stepping stone to good health.

Crash diet is basically a very limiting diet plan (abruptly restricting your dietary calories sometimes as low as 700 calories per day!) that is impractical for the long term and maintenance of our normal body. If we cut off our intake so abruptly, our poor body starves and metabolism suffers! When we opt for crash diet, unknowingly we end up burning our muscles along with fat. When we are on crash diet, we get easily irritable and inconsistent in our behaviour by seeing people around us enjoying delicious meals. Unfortunately, on prolonged crash diet, our adrenaline and thyroid hormone levels fall which makes us inefficient to react in emergency or quick situations. Our cognitive function falls short due to the lack of some or the other amino-acid or, various micro-nutrients. So, clearly crash diet does more harm than good. Once you shift back to your old diet plan, you may gain quick and extra weight and worst part is- you would gain more fat than muscles! Eat healthy balanced diet and think better. Thinking better means not falling for easy but cheap ways of weight loss as in crash diet, because it is easy to put up with plump look but not with harmful long term consequences of crash diet.

I am joining the Saffolalife #ChhoteKadam initiative in association withBlogAdda and follow these small steps for a healthy heart.

One dream at a time!

In January I made my last business trip before the birth of our child. I traveled to Helsinki because I had a meeting. During the same trip I also visited my FB friends Deepa and Karthik. It was so nice to have some time for myself and for social media friends! My trip to Sundarbans went well in every way. In a train I had good time to think about my life. My thoughts about the blog clarified. I realized that if I had had courage to create and make Explore Bengal public, I have also courage to make it exactly what I want. When I was a student I noticed that making your dreams come true improves your happiness. That notice had given me courage and will to keep on making my dreams come true, one at a time. As a student the things I did were small. However they helped me to have the courage to make a little bit bigger dreams come true, and after that again a little bit bigger dreams.

Making your dreams come true is one way to have power over your life and affect the content of your life. When you have that power and courage, you start to feel better. The improvement of well being is based on developing your self-esteem and self-confidence. Both of them are important parts of well being. You can get better self-esteem and better self-confidence when you can be the one who makes the decisions in your life. What is funny, it doesn't matter eventually whether your dreams really come true or not. The main thing is that you have tried. Instead of saying to yourself and to the others that your can’t change your life.

But back to Explore Bengal. So how my thoughts about my blog clarified during Sundarbans trip? I realized that my passion for natural well being and finding the balance and happiness in a woman’s life was the reason why I created Explore Bengal. Those are the topics I want to concentrate in Explore Bengal. And what I mean with “natural well being”? Well, we will talk about it another day. As I've told to you, I've worked in tourism after graduation. I'm proud of my home country and region. My pride is shown in “Explore Bengal” name. I chose that name because I feel that there are so many sources of natural well being here in Bengal and in India. By having them -sources of natural well being- in life, my own well being and life balance has been improved. I want to continue to create “a natural lifestyle” in my own life. And I also want to encourage other women to do the same in their lives so that they could feel better and improve balance and happiness in their lives. That is my next dream.

I am blogging about my dreams and the people who helped make them true for the #AdviceThatMattered activity at BlogAdda in association with Stoodnt.

How I made my dream come true!

It is truly said that every woman has some things that she is passionate about and things those collectively make her who she is. No woman is limited by a single label but there are multiple layers to her abilities and personality. Here I shall talk about my life so far. I have tried to be a good human being, a courageous woman, a calculative entrepreneur and a loving mother of a eleven years boy. The thing which connects me with the rest of the world is my compassion and empathy. Even though I am a busy businesswoman, every week I make it a point to visit particular temple of our city and give food and clothes to beggars. Usually you will find many rich people doing such as a part of their social responsibility but I spend time with those beggars and listen to their problems for hours like you do with our friends.

I have a postal stamp library. I am into philately for last two decades! I've more than thirteen thousand international postal stamps, some of which are more than hundred years old! I used to be a district level champion swimmer in my college days and got many awards. Unfortunately after an elbow operation five years back I had to leave swimming. But now I play badminton sometimes! I always visit relatives and friends, taking out time from my busy schedules. Once you visit my house you would know the meaning of real hospitality. I won't tell you no for anything but once I disapprove something nothing in the world can help you out! Thus my well wishers say that I am a powerhouse of humanity, talents, bravery, determination and sportsmanship. After this short introduction about myself now I will talk about my dreams and the guidance that helped me along the way.

I have told you that presently I am an entrepreneur. When I got married I used to have fascination for sarees, especially local silk sarees. I was also attached to a micro finance agency that dealt with local silk saree makers. I had planned to set up a Saree store and talked with bank on previous few occasions. But, after my marriage when I expressed my pending interest before in-laws, they completely disapproved my idea and said “Daughter in law is supposed to take care of home, her husband and raise kids with high morals”. I didn't give up but at that moment I had ensured not to plunge into argument with my mother and father in-law. I looked for support from my husband but he too seemed to be of the same mentality as his parents! Still I did not give up and waited patiently for the right moment.

After my son was born, I confronted my in-laws, “Look, now I have given you the flag bearer for your family. I have whole heartedly served you like my own mother and father. This time I am asking for a small permission of setting up a saree store. Either you give it to me or don't. If you permit I shall be a happy member of this family and strengthen the family economy contributing like your son. If you do not permit, I shall leave and that too with my kid.” What a tough conversation it was! Finally I got approval that day and since then there was no looking back for me. That's how I made my dream come true!

I am blogging about my dreams and the people who helped make them true for the #AdviceThatMattered activity at BlogAdda in association with Stoodnt.

Filing IT returns makes you a better citizen!

I have heard thousand times that every individual whose total pay surpasses the most amazing special case limit is resolved to outfit his/her Income Tax Return or ITR. In any case, what is the upside of recording ITR – especially for those underneath 30 years of age or those not in the higher cost segment? Why should any individual adamantly go and display his pay purposes important to the obligation power? Is it safe to say that it isn't more reliable not to reveal pay purposes of interest and keep away from paying obligation overall? Continue perusing why it is critical to record for tax discounts.

ITR is seen as a standard compensation affirmation in India and in addition comprehensive. In case you are scanning for cutting edge instruction or livelihood abroad, ITR is, all things considered, recognized compensation check.

Aside from an OK record as a purchaser (or past repayment track), the way that you are archiving your ITR every now and again gives you speedier access to credit and at better terms – in spite of the way that not nonyielding a greater credit augmentation, but instead certainly an unrivaled rate. It also gives the impression to the operator that you are a legit national and will repay the credit within time.

Perpetual Account Number or PAN issued by the IT influence is a key for reporting ITR and now mandatory for each and every cash related trade – from opening a record, or procuring normal resources for area for hypothesis. So it looks good to get yourself one paying little heed to the way that you don't have much compensation to boast about.

Recording ITR is not for the most part about paying obligation. It can be used as an approach to diminish your cost commitment! Yes, you heard us right. Take for instance, salaried delegates for whom TDS has been cut in the midst of the fiscal year can promise markdown if the appraisal outgo has been more than the genuine cost payable.

Every person with assessable pay should record a compensation return, paying little mind to the way that her/his obligation liabilities have been managed by the business through cost deducted at source (TDS); persons whose compensation rates have been subjected to TDS are moreover required to archive return since they may have earned from sources other than pay. The entire obligation payable on your compensation must be paid before recording the entry of pay either by strategy for cost deducted at source (TDS), advance cost or self-assessment charge. Ensure that it is done before the ITR is archived. Not only for markdown, you moreover need to archive your compensation return if you are ensuring pass on forward of disaster.

I’m taking the #TaxPledge to file IT returns with the easy Income Tax efiling option from H&R Block at BlogAdda.

Benefits of filing IT Returns

Income tax documenting is an imperative obligation regarding each acquiring individual from the general public. It guarantees that the nation is continually being filled by the income gathered through income tax. Be that as it may, in spite of being an indispensable obligation, about each person in the nation strolls each day because of the same inquiry. Why would it be advisable for me to record tax on income which I have hard-earned? What is the advantage of recording income tax, when I am slightest worried about government plans and advancement in the nation? How my income tax is helping the nation? Wow some unmistakable advantages for you which you can profit just by recording income tax returns on time.

One can convey forward the misfortunes on different heads of income, which guarantees decrease in taxable income in the coming years. You will get peace and unwinding without the stress of being examined by income tax division. There will be favorable position to simple advance preparing and visa application process. It makes a money related foundation which is useful to manufacture a solid monetary validity and acquire reserves at a lower loan fee.

Documenting income tax has been made simple in the late years because of endeavors and activities taken by the office. The income tax division encourages online e-recording process, and a client simply needs to transfer the pertinent reports and top off the points of interest to get income tax documented rapidly from the solaces of home, utilizing only a PC and the web. Income tax e-recording procedure is an amazingly advantageous process and to profit awesome advantages of documenting income tax, e-documenting utilizing an online medium is the favored choice for a large number of income tax evaluates around the nation.

Have you considered a circumstance where your income is beneath as far as possible for the year? Do despite everything you have to record your income tax return? While it is not obligatory for you to document your income tax returns if your income is beneath as far as possible, you can record a tax return for a non-taxable income. This has its advantages as well. In the event that you are putting resources into the value showcase and have been purchasing or offering offers, recording an income tax return might be helpful for you. For whatever length of time that your aggregate income is beneath as far as possible, there is no impulse to record an ITR. But you can get your fleeting capital misfortunes balanced against capital additions. What's more, this alteration can be conveyed forward for eight years as and when you present your ITR for the particular year. Once tax is deducted, any tax refund is facilitated just when you present your income tax return for that year. So any TDS on rent installments for NRIs, or TDS finding by banks on your settled stores will be discounted just once you file your tax returns and claim the coveted tax reasoning. 

You should petition for tax discounts online once you document your ITR for that year. Since your ITR is a monetary archive as well as shows your yearly profit, banks and NBFCs look for duplicates of your ITR when you approach them for a loan. Filing your returns despite having no taxable income will expand your odds of getting a credit approved as compared to somebody with the same income however no ITR filings. The Rs 2.5 lakh exception point of confinement is on your gross income. In this way, if your income is higher than Rs. 2.5 lakh, and you are looking for different tax exemptions to bring your income underneath that level, you should document your income tax returns. Notwithstanding when there is no tax liability, filing of your ITR is obligatory in order to look for any tax finding under different areas of the I-T Act. 

As an Indian resident, if you possess any remote assets, you are required to document your income tax returns as per law. This incorporates having versatile or non-portable outside resources including a financial balance abroad. Inability to unveil your remote property can prompt a conceivable fine and is considered to be a monetary offense.

I’m taking the #TaxPledge to file IT returns with the easy Income Tax efiling option from H&R Block at BlogAdda.

Datsun redi-GO, India's first Urban Cross

Ladies and gentlemen, get ready to experience the Datsun redi-GO, a fantastic car with unparalleled assemblage of style, comfort and built with the finest Japanese technology! I did not know of its upcoming launch until I came across the same in Datsun's official website. The Car by it looks is sporty but not by its engine for sure. The 0.8 L Intelligent Spark Automated Technology is a laid back one delivering very less torque. On the positive side, making a car which look so pretty with superb electronics, spacious interior but a drool worthy 4.7 meter turning radius makes this an affordable city machine to own. For me other cars in its segment are going out of budget. So Datsun redi-GO should be the best preference!

I personally can’t get my eyes off this wonder car. Trust me, Datsun redi-GO is indeed a very charismatic looking car. From the front- bold and classy Datsun character grille, elongated projector head lamps, daytime Running Lamps, with its Yukan design making the car look Strikingly delightful & ready to pounce as you press the accelerator pedal. The high ground clearance of the redi-GO makes the car roll in its class. Lean and dynamic side character lines give the added sporty look to the car along with its heightened stance. I feel the interiors are also very sophisticated. But my heart melted from the moment I read in details about this redi-GO. It is certainly a unique fusion of compact crossover and urban hatchback as the manufacturer is claiming it to be. Overall the interior of the Datsun redi-GO looks comfortable and luxurious. I wish to own it someday and drive thousands of kilometers to travel each and every state of India. May Almighty accept my prayer!

Now time to pick three of its features that appeal to me the most and elaborate why these features make me want to take this revolutionary car out for a test drive.
- Yukan Design: Oh God, right from its design Datsun redi-GO looks like a premium imported car. At least nobody can guess that this one is a sub four lakh model. When you own it you do not have to feel inferior from inside before your friends for buying a budget car. Even if my friends and colleagues check out its price they can only get jealous on their peer for managing such a “value for money” deal!
- Exceptionally high ground clearance: As I said before about my plans of driving across the length and breadth of India, 185 centimeters of ground clearance shall come real handy. India has different types of roads in her different regions. It can be awesome to awful, depending on your luck and choice of place. Sometimes it can be simple gravels scattered without a sign of black tar. So, if your vehicle is not having a respectable ground clearance it will keep bottoming and ultimately there will be sudden break down. Datsun redi-GO will keep me away from such fear.
- High strength body shell to take up impact for traveler safety: Datsun redi-GO's structure is Strengthened for optimized Torsional Rigidity and stiffness and it is UN94 crash performance compliant! I am not expecting of an accident. But in worst case if it happens, I will be fairly safer.

Where in India would you test it? What would you test it for?
- I would love to test it in my city Kolkata itself as this is where I belong. I'll test it for checking whether manufacturer’s promise on above specifications are true or not. From their good reputation I would start with optimism surely.

My firm belief is that Datsun redi-GO would help me beat my urban driving blues with its phenomenal maneuverability, controlled power, comfy interior, superb mileage and added trust of an established brand!

Fun. Freedom. Confidence. The ultimate Urban Cross - Datsun redi-GO - the capability of a crossover with the convenience of a hatchback.

My Sundarbans Sojourn

Visiting Sundarbans was our long hidden travel dream. The Sundarban National Park, a part of the Sundarbans on the Ganges Delta, and adjacent to the Sundarban Reserve Forest in Bangladesh, is a National Park, Tiger Reserve, and a Biosphere Reserve in West Bengal, India which is densely covered by mangrove forests, and is home to a variety of birds and reptile species besides being one of the largest reserves for the Bengal tiger!

It was at 4:15 evening when we reached Canning. Light tiffin was taken near Railway station. Then we booked a jeep to reach Gosaba and it took 1 ½ hours approximately. Our launch and Ramen, our fellow traveler were there to welcome us. We boarded on it and started for Hotel Ariyan at Pakhiralaya. Luggage was carried by the people of boat owner. It was evening time, the cold and gentle wind, the blowing river water, the silence of both sides jungle, the brightening moon all were marvelous. We all 14 guys sat on the top of the boat and just felt the thrill. The feeling was awesome!

After two hours journey, we reached Pakhiralaya and Hotel Manager Dev was waiting at the Ghat. He is very friendly, cordial, humble and cooperative. His people carried our luggage to the hotel which is one minute from there. This newly developed hotel is very beautiful and also has large compound. After getting fresh, hot tea with biscuits was served which was very essential in that cold weather. We were then busy in gossiping, chatting and roaming inside the hotel compound. The hotel has a pond which Rohan said that it would be a swimming pool within few days. The hotel was surrounded by a fake plastic net and Rohan descried that this was for preventing the tiger! Sometimes “his-highness” reaches this locality for inadequate food in the jungle. It was quite late when we got the dinner (Desi Murgi, Roti/Rice, Dal and sabji and salad). Food was very good and we enjoyed it with our own music.

Next morning we woke up. Very cold wind was blowing. Most of us were gathering at the compound. Suddenly a man arrived with so-called “Khejur Rosh” of Sundarbans. It was very tasty and everyone took 2 or 3 glasses. Rohan described how it is collected from date tree. On that day we had a program of whole day tour by boat. After sometimes we were transferred to our boat. At first we went to a fish market at Tiger Ghat. We purchased two kinds of fish according to our choice as Rohan suggested us. At the market we met a person who was heavily wounded by a tiger attacked in the last year. We listened the thrilling story from him with our wide open mouth how he survived that attack!

Then we went to Sajnekhali for our permission. There were too many monkeys watching us and disturbing for food. Be careful with children. There was an artificial park with ponds with little tortoises, a Bonodebi Temple and Mangrove Interpretation Centre. The place is beautiful. We left that place after 1 hour for our next destination Do Banki. On the way, we saw crocodiles. They were taking sun-bath on sandy bank of the river. There was a watch tower and the whole place is surrounded by high net to protect the tourist from tiger attack. The walking bridge is over the trees and tourists can watch the jungle and animals from the bridge. We took some pictures and videos from there. Then we visited Sudhyankhali and watch tower there. But tiger was invisible till then.

At 10 morning tiffin was served on the boat with hot cup of tea. On the beginning of tour Rohan had promised us that we would surely watch the tiger. Now when we asked Rohan about the same, we got a tricky reply from him. At Jharkhali two wounded tigers were kept for treatment and he talked about those tigers. Something is better than nothing. We started for Jharkhali. On the way again we saw an open-mouth crocodile. Then we entered the “Khari” area (a narrow water way) where Rahul told us to be careful as tiger may jump on the boat from the jungle! Thankfully nothing had happened.

After reaching spot there was a hue and cry among us to see the tiger. Entry fee of the park is Rs. 30 and at last we saw the tiger after walking about 2 kilometers. The park was beautiful with many amusements for children. On the way while returning on boat, we saw some unknown big seed of a fruit and they told that it was ground nut. Lunch was served on the boat. The food was not very good in comparison with the last night’s dinner but the heartiest behavior of Rohan overwhelmed us. Hot coffee was served after that.

Sun set was as unusually beautiful and we took some memories. We reached our hotel about evening 7. We arranged for “Jhumur Nach” which was most beautiful part of our tour. It is an ancient traditional dance by tribals of Sundarbans. Rohan made a camp fire there. We enjoyed the dance a lot. All of our members participated with them and danced till we got tired. The program was so delightful that the other tourists of the hotel were compelled to join us. I must suggest the Sundarbans visitors to make an arrangement for this dance program. Chiken pakora was served by Rohan during the dance. Rice/Roti with crab/chicken was served in dinner. Food was good. Then we were transferred to our launch. We had a program to stay one night on the launch. There were beautiful separate beds for every family inside the boat with warm weather. Before sleeping we were gossiping, chatting on deck on that full moon night. Cold blowing breeze made us shiver. The feeling was awesome and indescribable.

Next morning we went to Tiger ghat again for purchasing fish. Cake, banana, sweet and tea were served in tiffin on the launch. We were then returning to Gosaba Ghat and watching the side views of jungle, local houses, Anukul Chandra’s mandir, fully packed boat crossing the river, river-ambulance, daily routine life of Sundarbans people etc. Weather was very charming. After sometime lunch (Rice/ Dal/Sabji/Fish fry and Chicken) was served.

We took a jeep again from Gosaba to reach canning, and arrived Sealdah at about 3:30 afternoon, with a sad thought of how a beautiful world heritage site is getting destroyed gradually day by day by erosion. We heard from Rohan that Aila, Sider (the storms) pushed back the development of Saundarbans 10 years back! Unfortunately for foreigners there's no nearby airport and the nearest one s in Kolkata which caters hundreds of domestic as well as International Flights daily. You can clearly visualize and compare Sundarbans with a gorgeous lady who is old now, but her majestic allure is still persisting. Oh what a grand trip it was!

Revisiting the Jungle Book many years later as an adult!

I loved “Mowgli”, when I was a kid. I was damn engrossed in Jungle book cartoon series which was coming on DD national Chanel on Sunday morning. I fell in love with every character of the Jungle book and never missed a single episode. Jungle Book meant Mowgli to me and I was not aware that there are other stories too. I hadn’t realized until now that The Jungle Book is actually a number of short stories and songs or verses. When I was a child, I expected the whole book to be about Mowgli. But when I read now surprisingly I found myself not disappointed because I knew its not only about Mowgli. I enjoyed other stories as mush as I enjoyed Mowgli’s story. Its a children’s book yet it is not only meant for Children! There are stories of white seal, Mongoose, Elephants and other animals. What I liked the most is there is a good concept behind every stories.

The Jungle Book finds the perfect balance between two universes too often dissociated, humans and animals. The Jungle Book transcends the antagonism to a more psychological level, through the story of a little boy, virtually made an animal from his raising by a family of wolves and his tutoring by a black panther named Baghera, who must return back to the men's village to escape from the terrifying Shere Khan, the tiger who made every man a personal enemy, a hatred rooted in his irrational fear of fire: the element that interestingly differentiates humans and animals, fire as synonym of weapon, the same that killed Bambi's mom, or the same fire that almost destroyed the forest when men were hunting. Although Mowgli never learned how to make a fire, because he's still an animal, he carries his own race's dangerous heritage, his life is threatened because of his 'human nature', which makes the assimilation of 'animal culture' totally pointless. The irony is that the 'animal culture' is very similar to humans: elephants constituted an army, monkeys a kingdom, so the line between the two worlds becomes very uncertain. But The Jungle Book insists on making these two worlds totally incompatible through various episodes starting with Mowgli trying to adapt, becoming an elephant, dancing and partying with the monkeys, even standing up to Shere Khan but ultimately, his weakness as a human prevents him from being accepted. This is the point, Mowgli can become stronger only with a human entourage, it's not about differences as weaknesses, but as potential strengths. And Mowgli's coming-of-age can only be achieved when he'll understand the foolishness of wanting to be what we are not, a lesson that should also learn the zany King Louie who wants to know the secret of fire from Mowgli, to be 'just like humans'. Mowgli's dilemma is to accept his own condition and do what nature commands is undermined by an emotional conflict: Baloo vs. Baghera.

During the first act, Mowgli is lead by Bagherra whose mission is to conduct Mowgli to the village. Baghera is a serious and no-nonsense character with an admirable sense of responsibility. But Mowgli chose Baloo as a fatherly figure because Baloo is simply a big kid who takes life just the way it comes. Baloo and Baghera are the perfect yin and yang for the story. My two favorite moments, although not the most 'impacting' occur when Mowgli finally meets Shere Khan, and is given ten seconds to run away, Mowgli confidently gets himself ready to fight where Shere Khan suddenly jumps roaring at Mowgli's terrified face, in one second before Baloo's providential interaction, Mowgli as a vulnerable little child. My last favorite moment is when Baghera starts singing at the end after Mowgli chose to go by himself. It was a nice twist from a very serious character, adding the same level of three-dimensionality than when even the cool and good-natured Baloo decided to take Mowgli to the village. And speaking of the ending, although it's not a canon of adaptation from Rudyard Kipling book, it's morally faithful to the spirit of the film that commands to each creature to be among its own, and Mowgli didn't need to be pushed by Baghera or kept by Baloo, he made his decision alone, after being hypnotized not by a more pleasing form of Kaa-like creatures.

The Jungle Book is a cheerful and dazzling celebration of child literature, talking animals, coming-of-age story, music, dance, thrills and chills and for every laugh, a little tear, but not so much tear in a very feel-good story, except one for the great Kipling who couldn't have a greater epitaph honoring his extraordinary contribution on the field of fiction writing.


I’m blogging about #MyMowgliMemory at BlogAdda.

Make this Valentine's Day Special for you!

Make this V'day a grand one, make this February 2016 special for you by proposing your crush, assuming you have a special someone. Proposing your crush is one of the most exciting as well as nervous moments. But we have to do at some point of time or the other. Without taking chances in life nothing can be gained. Proposing one's crush is such a nerve wrecking moment that one may feel he is going to get the world under his belt in the next minute or the world is going to slip away from below his feet in the next! Only people who has tried the act would know what I meant. Well which can be a better date than the Valentine's Day, i.e. 14th February for proposing your crush, in case you have one. I'll be narrating here things I would do in your place if I have to propose my crush on this Valentine's Day. I would choose a Jadise Red Leather Handbag from Jabong as her V'day gift. Look how awesome does it look:

First things first. If you look filthy nothing can save you from a woman's negative scoring against your name. So, I will ensure that I meet her in proper outfit, decent haircut and a well shaved clean face. I do not care much on branded clothes and shoes but my emphasis would be the cleanliness, lack of wrinkles on clothes and shining polish of my leather shoes. After all being a gentleman does not hurt anyone's interest. I'll use light fragrance and some mild styling gel on my hair to keep it set and pure black. Bathing and brushing are always important whether you're going to meet your crush or your client, so, I'm not mentioning them separately.

Second thing is the venue. Valentine's day already invites a lot of couples in popular entertainment spots of the city. So, finding a private space free of unwanted noise would be a challenging task. After all when it comes to proposing crush you can't certainly invite her in a hotel room. You need to do a lot of research work to find an optimum venue. I love cricket and I have a club membership of Eden Garden stadium which would allow me to take my crush inside the relatively noise-free ground. I think it would be quite a romantic venue for the proposal!

Third thing is the added effects to create a magically romantic ambiance. I'll hire few club musicians to play at the background some soft melody, like they show in movies. I feel music and romance have parallel connection. I'll select tunes from Beethoven’s symphony. Just hope it works out for the moment!

Final thing would be my words. I am no poet or a singer. So, I'll search in internet best pickup lines and romantic proposals, memorize them, practice before the mirror at home and then deliver flawlessly on the special moment. Do you think my ways of proposing would fit you too? All the best! Make this special day grand and Happy Valentine's Day in advance.

Children can pep up your vacation!

It is said that children are forms of God and there is also the common saying that travelling is a part of education. The relevance in mentioning these two seemingly different sayings lies in the strange nervousness among newbie parents when it comes to travelling with their kids. They are simply scared. They are scared merely by the thought, leave alone trying it out! Every good reward needs some sincere planning. Once your travel planning is proper, children can really pep up your vacation! So, instead of postponing your travel plans why not take few simple measures so that your kids have the best of times during their vacations and you can have great time as well?

Being a traveler when my kid was small first thing I had to ensure was not to put a long break to my travel plans and at the same time not to compromise on taking care of my little angel. Undoubtedly it was easier to plan than execution. There were plenty of challenges and my boy was no easy man to agree to my moving nature. But with proper planning, patience and persistence I had managed to overcome the hurdle. Yes I really made my kid a part of most of my travel sagas and he too, as they say “like father like son” gradually developed the affinity of travelling, like baby cubs learn tearing fleshes! Today I shall share with you those old research secrets so that you too can make your kid an integral part of your traveling and amplify the fun of your vacation!

First step is to understand your baby. See, he is a living entity with wishes which you must respect and take care of if at all you intend to make your vacation fun filled. Kids are undoubtedly unpredictable but at the same time, unlike us they are easier to satisfy with small rewards or change in situations. Do not ever tell a direct ‘no’ to your kid. At first make a primary survey of his demand and judge how justifiable it is. It is wise to be open minded and unbiased. Being a kid doesn't always ensure that his demands would be silly. In cases where you think that your kid’s demand is irrational, check whether it is harmful for him. If there’s no harm just agree to that during your travel itinerary to keep things under control. If you feel it is harmful offer him an alternative distraction which you know he can’t refuse! Do not make him feel he is being denied.

Other than this basic knowledge of kid psychology, be careful in your packing items. Your handbag must contain an extra pair of clothes for your kid, his food and the toy he is maximum attached to. Take care of your kid and I assure you your kid would take care of your fantastic vacation and make it enough peppy for you two!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Had chosen the hard way!

Life gives us various moments when the same we become best, better, good, bad, worse or the worst. Navigation is must in our life but we never know about the correctness of the path we're choosing! We do either the right thing or the wrong thing, or sometimes a wrong disguised as right. But in all these things we always have a motive behind the real act. Same goes for telling a truth or a lie. There's always a motive. So, it doesn't matter what you're speaking or doing, as everything is ultimately relative. Point is how genuine is your intention behind that truth or that lie. Anyway I'll tell a story today (personal experience) about a time in my life where navigating to the truth was the right thing to do!

We were in college, charged with impulses, emotions and urges to get along with the other gender. Being from a pure boys' school breed, there had been no proper interaction with the other gender in my life previously. Same was true with my other two-three close friends. They all were as if starving to be in friendship with college girls. Honestly so was I! In the beginning of the college you presume certain things and later your blindfold gets loose and you see through more things, even your own actions. I did some good, some shameful and few very bad things during those days, as I analyze them today. Today's story belongs to that class of black deeds for which till today I ask myself if I really did the right thing!

After final year result was out, my best friend Govind rang to my home one afternoon (mobile phone was not there those days) and requested me to meet in college canteen. There was excitation in his voice as evident from the trembling nature. I asked him for a trailer but he did not agree to reveal any secret in advance. While going to college meeting spot, I dragged Manu, our mutual good friend along with me from his house. There was a shyness in Govind's eyes as he unraveled the news- “I am going to get engaged pals! My life is going to change forever, for good. I am super excited brothers. I was never so happy before. Pinch me once to confirm that I am not dreaming, please Tilak.”

Things passed quite fast after that and Govind could hardly give us time due to his personal commitments. We turned up at his house on the day of engagement. Those days carrying a photo of every other person in mobile was not in fashion as there was no digitalization and gadgets then. So, me and Manu were yet to get a glimpse of Govind's going to be bride. We were very excited for that one glimpse. The moment I saw the bride, gorgeously dressed in traditional clothes I was shocked and my heart almost came out of my mouth! It was the very girl with whom I had a relation a year back which was more of a physical nature. She was mean and a reputed liar. Later as she showed her colours and I too eventually understood her nature we had broken up. Now how come my dear friend Govind got trapped to that inappropriate lady, it was impossible for me to digest!

It was never easy but that day I argued with the person inside me thousand times before taking a step. I gathered courage and told everything about that girl to Govind. Later the marriage was canceled. Till date I do not know whether it was a right or wrong thing, but for me, that day telling the truth was really essential. I think I navigated to the right path!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Bad body odor has a strong negative impact on your public image!

How to remain smell-free in summer is a big challenge for city dwellers and people who need to commute in the public transport, for them the bigger challenge waits anytime- how to deal with smell people all around! Foul smell from our body can quickly create a negative impact in people around us. Some will have smelly armpit, other will have smelly shirt and few will go to the extent of maintaining smelly head! Simply it is horrible and grossly unacceptable! Honestly speaking, bad body odors can create an impactful and lasting bad impression. 

Once I was commuting in a city bus and like most of the days it was over packed. Hardly there was place to stand, leave aside sitting. Among many others, one guy at my right was dozing off pressing his sweaty smelly armpit portion against my cheek (Alas my short height!). I pushed him awake few times but all in vain. Then I raised my voice and asked him, "Uncle doesn't she get angry by this foul odor... I mean aunty...??? Or, is she fed up with it?" The smelly moron got properly disheartened but seeing a dozen of faces staring at him curiously couldn't give me any reply... silently boarded down the bus in next stop!

Now I'll share another such funny but disgusting memoir of impactful bad body odor.

It was a family get together in summer vacation and I was in class 8 or 9. Occasion was perhaps my parents' belated marriage anniversary A far away relative who claims to be my aunt had arrived late when the last batch for lunch had sat which included me, after taking tare that others have been properly treated. She was a long long ago "past middle aged" obese lady, with extravagant makeup and boasting nature. She used to claim that she spends her summer in London in her son's place to avoid the sticky unbearable heat of India! We always had doubt whether her son was really working in Europe or some Gulf country... anyway! When she entered the hall she was drenched in sweat, huffing puffing her way, gave a plastic smile to all of us sitting with our plate.
"Oh last time didn't I tell you to fix an AC Meenu?" she complained at my mother.
I was praying that she shouldn't spot me in her second sight but my worst fear got materialized. She came running to me and hugged me from back of the chair. A strong foul odor invited my nausea and the piece of papad dropped down from my mouth to oblige the plate!
I screamed revengefully, "Aunty, how long it has been since you haven't taken a bathe? Is it why you fly to London to escape taking bath???"
Impact of what I had said was no less than a family earthquake and I better don't recapitulate that unpleasant episode in finer details.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Music puts my baby to sleep!

Your child and you is always a complex yet beautiful interaction. Bedtime events are very essential to ensure that my baby sleeps peacefully and allows me to have a proper sleep for myself as well as for my spouse. Children have quite a lot of fickle mindedness and it takes a little or negligible stimulus to disturb them from their state of momentary bliss. Keeping babies asleep for around eight hours, i.e. the entire night is undoubtedly a big challenge for every parents, especially in the initial years. There are many parenting books or rather guidebooks available in the market which teach newbie parents how to tackle with their babies. But I personally feel that there is no fixed recommendation for the same and these ways of tackling our babies should certainly be tailor-made after understanding the demands and nature of individual babies. Coming back to the bedtime rituals, I have my own set of methods to put my baby in to a sound sleep.

I know my baby is very restless kind of human being. Unlike adults, restlessness in babies doesn't always sink down by the end of the day. So, my objective is based on the dampening of my baby's restlessness. Apparently it sounds so simple but it is never an easy thing doing in reality. I play baby songs in low volume for thirty minutes. It is a sort of conditioned reflex which my baby has acquired by now. Perhaps he knows that when I play the music player I wish him to fall asleep! Wait, it is not that simple too. Sometimes he gets irritated by the music track. In those times I instantly stop the damn music and try to sing with my hoarse voice. Somehow, my non-melodious voice pleases my baby's ears and he giggles at my poor attempts, as if slowly relaxing with every bad note.

In majority of those days when my baby digs the music and the melody takes a lead, he usually craves for few particular soft toys, favorite of which is a blue lion called Leo. Actually Leo is larger than him in size but he pretends to be the guardian of that poor thing. My baby tries to mimmick those steps on his soft toys, usually consisting of patting and caressing which I do on him. It is a sheer joy seeing his eyes slowly drooping down like a wax angel. Sometimes I wish I had someone to make me fall asleep. I know I am getting nostalgic and emotional but few emotions are hard to control, right? In remaining nights when the music player and my non-melodious voice fail to charm the kid, I take him to the terrace and walk slowly while patting his back. Either the darkness of the moonless sky or the dim light of the moon, coupled with the light breeze from the far away river bank helps my baby to fall asleep. Mostly it is the music that puts him to sleep!

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Music fantasy engulfed me for one last time!

In my last blog post I had taken you to my beautiful musical world of imagination where two of my old college pals Ashu and Arushi had tamed a hall full of impatient college audience with their heavenly dance and music. Owing to the ongoing blog marathon, I am lucky to sit idly, close my eyes for the second time so that I can fantasize with my sweet reminiscence and Blog about how any situation would be coated with the magic of music when Ashu's sensational moves and Arushi's magical voice come together! Who doesn't know these young, charismatic and extremely talented regional celebrities well known for their dancing and singing skills respectively. So, here I will recreate Ashu and Arushi's live concert magic once again, in a slightly different background.

A group of Indian passengers are sitting in international lounge at Qatar airport and waiting for their connecting flight to Cape Town. Sitting for five damn hours is never easy and after that when your flight delays for another seven hours it surely becomes hell. There are two breastfeeding kids in the group of passengers and two extremely old passengers, one of them with a walker. A brown haired middle aged man approached the airline counter and came back with a grumpy face. At first he told something to his family. Then another couple of men approached him with sheer curiosity to inquire their flight status. Human psychology is pretty weird. We get curious on things which are not our real problems but just distractions to that. To men who approached the brown haired man pretended to be curious about their flight status but actually they wanted to know what made that guy pissed off. In a nutshell, junk informations are our source of entertainment for sure! Then rest of the passengers gathered around him as he disclosed the reason of his mood swing. The airline executive had refused to give him access to their executive lounge or rest room when he had asked that his wife needed some privacy to breastfeed their infant! Undoubtedly it was not a polite gesture from the airline, especially so when the delay in flight was their liability. Other passengers, mostly women approached to the airline counter to lecture on the lessons of basic etiquettes and humanity. But the executive vanished in the meantime! All they could do were screaming, ranting and cursing the airline company. Had it been their homeland there could be some acts of vandalism too. Just then all heard a heavenly voice and a young enigmatic man arrived dancing on the lounge, as if sent from some other planet to monitor humanity! Oh it was none other than my best pals, Ashu and Arushi! In five minutes of fabulous dancing and singing duo charmed those impatient passengers and kept entertaining them till their flight arrived.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Old music once again!

I will narrate a story or rather Blog about how any situation would be charged with energy when a dancer's sensational moves and a singer's magical voice come together. It is more like a past recall for me. Ashu and Arushi are great in their respective fields as of today, i.e. dancing and singing, without a doubt. They used to be my college peers. We laughed together, ate together and bunked classes together. So, obviously it will be an enigmatic evening if a single stage holds both of them once again. All I can think are a bunch of lucky old college friends, throwing hats, whistling and clapping. Well, here I'll choose to imagine of a great moment when Ashu and Arushi are performing together after so many years in the same college stage! Let me dive into the world of soothing imagination and enjoy those rare beats of melody, beats of happiness and of course last but not the least, beats of life!

A big hall with perfect acoustic walls, packed with audience and dim lights are all you want to create the fore-ambience of a coming up celebrity on stage who can make the crowd crazy, can make the restless folks mute, can control all of them like a perfect magician. Here also with growing time, college students are getting somewhat restless. Most of them are checking their watches or mobile phones for time as if by checking multiple times they can make a difference. After mutual exchange of dissatisfaction kids start looking at other rows to spread the negativity and waves of impatience. Suddenly sweat trickles down the bald forehead of Mr. Sharma (a parent). “What the hell!”, he screams. How can he get sweaty in an expensive air conditioned auditorium! He gets scared if he is going to get a heart attack or some serious ailment because one of his friends had suffered the same condition a month back. When he tells his son he grins and says that the air conditioning is probably malfunctioning. They look around and see many people wiping their facial sweat with hankies. Now Mr. Sharma gets real mad. Like most other desi public he wants maximum value for his time. He has spent his whole evening for a college show and now how dare the organizer make him taste the heat of summer and delay of ex-student celebrities! The anger spreaded very fast throughout the hall and the head of organizer came to apologize and repaired the cooling fault. But now the issue is no more the air conditioning. Everyone wants celebrities on stage. At that very moment Ashu appears on stage with his perfect dance steps and Arushi singing with a smile, as if God sent them to manage the situation under control! Everyone gets awestruck and starts enjoying the magic of Ashu and Arushi with wide open eyes. I'll come up with more stories about Ashu and Arushi in subsequent posts.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Keep your kid peppy!

Keeping your child peppy is a a big responsibility and a major part of your family life. What makes my baby peppy is a very tender and sweet discussion. If you ask to any father or mother the reaction will be more or less same, because, babies' demands are universal and certainly not materialistic like adults. Tiny things are usually sufficient to bring happiness in my baby. My baby has specificity but never high demands! So, today I will tell you about few sweet, silly and fun things those keep my baby peppy.

Basically I am a person with least earthly demands. So, possibly my baby inherited that quality! Whenever I see shades of unhappiness in my baby, I play his favorite rhyme tracks. Those are musical version of nursery rhyme. Although he is too small to understand those rhymes I have observed that “twinkle twinkle little star” makes him most euphoric. He bends his head backwards and sways it sidewise, giggling with every rising notes. It's simply a pleasure to watch. My baby also likes to bite soft milk chocolate bars with his few tiny milk teeth. Unlike other over-concerned parents I do not discourage him from taking chocolates as I know it won't affect his teeth or cause cavities if I get his teeth properly brushed, regularly. Moreover, if you become strict about your baby's health from point of idealism you will most probably kill his peppy self.

My baby gets quite peppy when a particular cartoon show is telecasted in television. It is Adam's Family. Again I am very sure that my cute-pie understands nothing that's going on in that television show but I think the unpredictable soundtracks or background music pleases him.

In a local auction shop I had bought an old wooden cum brass rattle for keeping it as a showpiece. Unfortunately it is no more a showpiece and fortunately it gives immense joy to my baby. Due to its vintage nature the rattle is somewhat heavy with respect to my baby and when he fiddles with it, if you see from a distance you will be amused thinking whether the rattle is playing with my baby or he is playing the rattle! Another thing that draws my baby's attention for good is a blinking night lamp that we place over the bedside table. It emits different colors of light which rotates like a whorl. The lamp also helps to put my baby into sleep after a brief period of ecstasy. Good thing is he never care to crawl towards the lamp or throw his arms to grab it. He's a silent and blissful observer. These are few things which keep my baby peppy. Please share the same which are applicable for your baby so that other parents are benefited too.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.

Now get used to overwhelming compliments!

Do you want your skin to be complimented as fantastico? Then first thing you got to do is shifting from your artificial chemical products to herbal ones. It is truly said that our ancient Ayurveda has various benefits over cosmetic facial cleansing regimes and Ayurvedic formula when blended with the microbicide properties of turmeric prevents oily skin, fights pimples and also clears blackheads. I wonder, even after knowing these why we modern human beings fall for expensive chemicals marketed as facial cleansers. Today I will talk about some of the natural and simple skin care tips which my readers can easily try without any fear of rashes or hypersensitivity reaction to get not just smooth skin but I call it fantastico!

Pimples are probably the most common and widely found skin problem which bother my beauty conscious readers. Right? So, I will talk about different natural remedies of pimples. Before telling these I want to warn you of synthetic remedies available in market. Please do not try them on your delicate facial skin as they won't cure your pimples permanently and they can harm the skin as well. Citrus fruits, especially lemon juice rich in vitamin C, can be used to treat pimples. Squeeze two lemons and apply its juice over your pimples affected skin with a soft clothe or cotton swab. Allow it to dry properly. Wash off with cool water. Repeat this twice a day for a week to cure your pimples! Garlic contains sulphur and it is quite effective against pimples. Slice a clove of garlic and rub its juice on your pimples. Allow it to dry and then wash your face with cool water. Repeating it thrice a day for three to four days shows effective result. You can also treat pimples with natural honey as it contains natural antibiotics. However bland cucumber tastes, when used with honey and lemon it shows wonderful action against pimples. Paste cucumber in a blender and add lemon juice with a spoon of honey. Apply the paste over your face like face mask. Allow it to dry and then wash it off with warm water. Repeat it daily for seven days for guaranteed results. Tomato juice, papaya juice, egg white, neem paste, turmeric powder paste, steam bath etc are other natural alternatives to cure pimples.

If you want to make your locks bit extra shiny follow this simple natural technique- add an egg to a mashed banana. Apply the paste on your hair. Allow it to settle for half an hour. Wash your hair under cool water. That's it! Your elbows and knees sometimes look pretty ugly and shabby right? Don't worry, you can easily exfoliate the dry and dead skin over its surface which is making it look ugly. Rub pieces of orange over them and let it dry. Wash it off and you are done! Are you frustrated of black heads? Don't worry. Mix few drops of lemon juice with natural honey. Apply it over your black heads. Let it dry and wash off. You are good to repeat it few more times in coming days to get rid of all those black heads! Friends, if you have natural and simple skin care tips please share them with me in comment section. Meanwhile try these tips and get used to overwhelming compliments.

This blog post is inspired by the blogging marathon hosted on IndiBlogger for the launch of the #Fantastico Zica from Tata Motors. You can apply for a test drive of the hatchback Zica today.