Monday, July 29, 2013

The Paperback Of LOL And ROFL

Click on the image below to read my review of The Paperback Badshah by Abhay Nagarajan.




Title: The Paperback Badshah
Publisher: Srishti Publication
Author: Abhay Nagarajan
Edition: Paperback
Language: English
No. Of Pages: 326
My Rating: 4/5


Buy this book here.


Sunday, July 28, 2013

Cynthia Koenig - Providing Solution To "Water" Problem

Every family needs water to drink, make food, wash self and clothes, and perform other basic daily activities. Water is provided to us and we use it as per our needs. However, in many places, these water are carried by women and young girls in large vessels, which are quite heavy. Yes, water indeed is heavy. We do not know because we never really had to carry gallons of water on our shoulder and walk for miles. However, these unfortunate women have to face this difficulty, day in and day out, several times per day, carrying water and delivering them to several households, including their own.

The water, besides being heavy, may not always be safe to drink. Also, collection of water is time consuming, due to which it limits opportunities for other constructive activities such as education.




Cynthia Koenig comes up with a device to carry water that has been named as Wello. It is cylindrical in structure and can be rolled on the ground with a long handle attached to it. Wello is the result of an emphatic and extensive design process. It is convenient leading to benefits of 35 extra hours per week. It is ergonomic, durable, and ensures that water stays clean as it was meant to be. Its Matka shape is aesthetically pleasing and carries an affordable price tag of Rs 750 – 1000.

Cynthia and her team is also in a process of continuous innovation that would result in better filtration, drip irrigation, energy generation and advertising.


This is my official entry to "The Idea Caravan" contest organized by Indiblogger in association with Franklin Templeton Investments and TEDxGateway Mumbai. Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.



Mittal Patel - Working For The Betterment Of The Nomadic And Denotified Communities

We, the privileged people, have started taking the basic rights of living for granted. We have a place to live, food to eat, access to education and a valid identity. However, there are several Nomadic and De-notified Communities of Gujarat who do not have any of these. They live in isolation, devoid of the basic amenities needed for survival, and dwell in darkness away from the sun.

The Nomadic Tribes used to earn their livings by entertaining people with several tricks and skills which were their specialities.  Ishwarbhai was a snake charmer who now fell victim to ‘The Wild Life Protection Act.’ As he can’t use snakes anymore, he has to resort to begging. Today, the world is ruled by technology. Who would like to watch the skills of this tribes when entertainment is available to them with a few clicks? Nomadic tribes such as Nat (playing acrobat), Sarania (sharpening knives and tools), Natda (walking on rope), Bhavaiya (performing folk plays), Turi-Barot (playing dhol), Bahurupi (self disguising), Gadalia (making iron tools), Kangasia (making wooden combs) and Lawaria (selling iron stoves) have thus been victims of technological advancements.

The British Government in 1872 notified 200 odd communities as Criminals. Even though their current generation is not involved in any sort of crime, they are still enlisted in police records. They have no permanent address, nor counted by any form of census. Their children can’t go to schools, and they are not acknowledged by the villagers. Quiet shockingly, in Vadia (a village in North Gujarat), the whole of nomadic tribe ‘Sarania’ is involved in prostitution.




The concerns of these communities were finally addressed by Mittal Patel and VSSM (Vicharta Samuday Samarthan Manch). VSSM works for the right and welfare of Nomadic (Vicharti) and De-Notified (Vimukta) Communities. It helps to mainstream these communities by enabling them to fight for their rights. Today, almost 22000 families are connected with VSSM in 9 districts of Gujarat. VSSM runs 26 alternate schools where 1040 children are enrolled, 1000 of them being main streamed. VSSM has also provided access to these communities to Voter ID Cards, Houses, Residential Plots, Ration Cards, Bank Accounts and several Government Welfare Schemes. With the help of the Chief Electoral Officer and the identification given by VSSM, for the first time more than 20000 people of these communities got their Election Cards. Also, VSSM arranged for mass marriage ceremonies where 8 girls of Vadia Village got married and 12 got engaged. This was done to free the women from prostitution.


In days to come, VSSM aims that these communities have social and economic development so that they can live a dignified life.


This is my official entry to "The Idea Caravan" contest organized by Indiblogger in association with Franklin Templeton Investments and TEDxGateway Mumbai. Franklin Templeton Investments partnered the TEDxGateway Mumbai in December 2012.









A Guy Was Flying Quite High

A guy was flying quite high
when his crush kissed him goodbye.
But her boyfriend saw
and hit his jaw
and left him with one sore eye.


This Limerick is shared with Limerick - Off Monday.





Saturday, July 27, 2013

Blessed

(Image Source: http://good-wallpapers.com)


shadows in the rain
dance, laugh, sing and love
drenched, I feel blessed


This Haiku is shared with Recuerda Mi Corazon - Haiku My Heart.




Stories Unwrapped

(Image Source: http://www.fanpop.com)


a letter flows
cementing a word
in pages blank, once
now flooded
with thoughts mundane
and bright and unique
and heavy and light
colors of passion
my canvas paints
weighed in scales
of emotions and figments
yes, that's my game
playing with tales
stories unwrapped


This Poem is shared with Theme Thursday - Passion.





Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Silent Mirror



silent mirror
disobeys her reflection
provides no answers

silent mirror
holds back a secret world
reflecting stories

silent mirror
trapped in a dismal past
cracked reflection


This Haiku is shared with Carpe Diem - Reflections.







Tuesday, July 23, 2013

My Silken Paradise



blooming like a lotus
my silken paradise
floats on its shadow
musical ripples
glowing with the sun

a midnight feast
waiting to be savored
right here
once the moon adorns the silent waves
with dewy diamonds


This Poem is shared with Picture It And Write.





Monday, July 22, 2013

Love Green



Don't hurt them dear. Out lives would be nothing but dirt without the green angels surrounding us. Love them, help them grow, today, always.


This 140 Character Micro-Fiction is shared with Succinctly Yours Week 122.




Sunday, July 21, 2013

Heat

Water, water is all I need
Go, go, go away kid
Summer heat is on the brink
Kid, kid, go get me a drink
Cold, cold, 'cause my skin burns
Rain, rain, my heart silently yearns
Longer days, and smelly sweats
Perspiring me, should I now fret
Shower, shower, a bath refreshing
Gotta run home, the AC's waiting.


This Poem is shared with Theme Thursday - Heat.




Saturday, July 20, 2013

Time

oh my dear Time
will you accompany me
when I meet her

oh my dear Time
will you be patient and mild
when we are lost in love

oh my dear Time
will you rest for longer moments
to delay the goodbyes


This Haiku is shared with Haiku Heights - Time.





Wander

as I wander from shore to shore
in quest of what I lost before
the hidden fallacy comes to light
truth is wrong, not what seemed right
the earth is flat, no, not round
'cause what I sought could not be found
points don't meet, neither do we
some love stories fail to fly free.


This Poem is shared with Sunday Scribblings - Wander.



Friday, July 19, 2013

A Thousand Stories

a thousand stories
lay wrinkled in faded pages
I once penned down
on a sultry summer day
kisses and hugs
now embraced in memories

if creation was my  diary
would those wrinkled pages
bring Adam and Eve together again?


This Poem is shared with One Single Impression - Wrinkle.





Little Flower Girl

little flower girl
her roses betray the bloom
she sells none

she sells none
dejection in her stride
a desert garden

a desert garden
hope isn't a commodity
for the poor

for the poor
the sun refuses to rise
dark clouds prevail

dark clouds prevail
but someday there will be light
roses shall bloom, again


This Haiku is shred with Carpe Diem - Compassion.




Thursday, July 18, 2013

Magic Surely Is A Moment



magic is a moment
a single dew that rests
on the lucid painted blossoms
beauty encompassed in adoring eyes
promising monsoon of love and joy
caressing winds gently kiss
petals red and gold
basking in nature's glory
a tear flows, a smile erupts
learn to live, throw off all fears
life knows no bound, then why bind it to norms
relish the present, savor the gifts 'cause
magic, surely is a moment


This Poem is shared with Poets United - Verse First - Water Table.






Saturday, July 13, 2013

Swing

innocent giggles
float across scented breeze
warm summer swing


This Haiku is shared with Haiku Heights - Swing.





Friday, July 12, 2013

Tribulation

tribulation
faith flows against evil
anchoring change

tribulation
the saint steers the ship
away from devil

tribulation
testing perseverance
fruits will bloom


This Haiku is shared with Carpe Diem - Tribulation.



Thursday, July 11, 2013

Pebbled Stream

pebbled stream
where once rowed my paper boat
now memories ripple


This Haiku is shared with Carpe Diem - Forgotten Brook.




Tuesday, July 09, 2013

Flight

The flight of stairs lead him to the bolted room, the lock rusted with time. With a smart turn of the keys, the door widened, opening a darkness that smelt of memories, sweet and pungent.

Jacob lazily walked towards the wooden casket, and with the power that resided in his bulging biceps, removed the lid on the top.

Her body lay there, barren of soul, eyes protruding in fear of the blood sucking creature that trapped her in a world, that rotated between the fake realities of life and death.

He let out a devilish laugh, and pulled her lifeless form out of the casket.


This Five Sentence Micro-Fiction is shared with Five Sentence Fiction - Flight.


Saturday, July 06, 2013

A Cactus Blooms

sand dunes
floating with the sun
a cactus blooms

a cactus blooms
amidst the midnight sun
hymns in desert


This Haiku is shared with Haiku Heights - Sand.




Thursday, July 04, 2013

Dew On Petals

dew on petals
caressing the white rose
nature's affection

nature's affection
glowing with the silken moon
stars swimming by


This Haiku is shared with Haiku Heights - Affection.




Tuesday, July 02, 2013