#BlogChatterA2Z: A2Z BLOGGING CHALLENGE 2021: THEME REVEAL

 April is here, and it's the time for the A2Z Blogging challenge conducted by BlogChatter. For those who don't know, this challenge involves writing one blog a day (except Sundays), throughout the month of April. This means writing 26 posts in April which is daunting. It's my first time participating in this challenge and I am excited, nervous, and also curious to know if I'll be able to do creative writing for an entire month! 

Now, writing one blog every day would be challenging, because what new would you come up with every day??! This made me do some research on the past challenges and I came across this cool idea of choosing a theme for all the posts. With a theme in place, there will be a flow of ideas and relevance in all 26 posts. 

After a lot of thinking, I came up with a theme that is very special to my heart. Here is my theme reveal:

Drum rolls......

My theme for #BlogChatterA2Z, 2021 is:

My experiences in INFOSYS, MYSORE

I am a Software Engineer by profession and I had the deemed opportunity to work for Infosys. It had always been my dream company and when I was hired to work for it through campus placements, I was ecstatic. For all the college hires of Infosys, it is mandatory to undergo training at Mysore for a few months before being posted to a job location. And this is where all the magic happens! The campus is an architectural marvel that spans over 350 acres. Here, learning is endless, and the whirlwind of emotions or experiences that one goes through lasts a lifetime. Ask anybody who's been at Infosys Mysore for training, they'll tell you the same. Rightly, the tag line of Infosys - Mysore is "Beginning of good days" and I couldn't agree more. People also call it a "5-star jail", which is also true sometimes.

In my 26 posts to follow, I am going to take you through some of my favorite places on the campus, a few places in and around Mysore, and most importantly, the experiences that I had with my close friends, all weaved into a beautiful story. 

Can't wait to write!

Book Review: Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay

I've tried a different style of writing for this book review. Hope you like it.

What is the book about? 

The story is based in a fictional town called Winsome, near Chicago. Winsome is a small town with a lot of community bonding, where everybody-knows-everyone.

The story revolves around Alyssa, a former resident of Winsome, who comes back to her hometown after a series of unfortunate incidents at her work place. “Why did she leave Winsome in the first place? What happens at her work place? “ form the crux of the story.

Another protagonist in this book is Jeremy, who moves from Seattle to Winsome, for his 7-year old daughter, Becka. Jeremy, a coffee lover, buys a popular local coffee shop called “The Daily Brew” , remodels it with latest equipment and renames it to Andante. How the remodeled, former-popular coffee shop fares in a small town that does not welcome drastic changes, forms a major part of the plot.

This book also has some recurring characters from the book, “The Printer Letter Bookshop”, written by the same author.

More details about the book?

The book primarily talks about bottled emotions with your loved ones and the art of letting go. It explores the sensitivity of human relationships, especially, of troubled mother-daughter relationships. It also narrates a budding relationship between a father-daughter duo. Apart from this, the story speaks a lot about communal harmony, local businesses and change.

How is the title related to the book?

Hint: A major part of the story is about “Andante”, the new local coffee shop which serves Lattes, among other things.

Don’t want to give away too much!

What’s your rating of the book?

I would give 2.5/5 stars for this book. The story seems quite relatable but there’s something missing in the flow which makes it a slow read. I could not read more than two chapters per day, even though I wanted to finish it in one go. It took me over 10 days to finish reading it.

What did you like/dislike about the book?

This book follows the conventional Sidney Sheldon pattern of writing, where each chapter narrates the plot from one of the protagonists’ point of view. While this narration style works for Sidney Sheldon’s books, it does not work for this book. 

Each chapter is mildly interesting in the beginning, slows down to a moderate-dead pan and picks up pace by ending with a twist. But by the time you've enjoyed the turn of events and want to read more, there’s an abrupt end to it. Then begins the next chapter, which is from a different protagonist’s point of view, with a slow beginning which does not do justice to the lovely ending from the previous chapter.  

For example, one of the chapters in this book is about the business of the coffee store and it ends with a brilliant touch which leaves the readers anxious to know more. But the next chapter begins with a funeral scene from a relatively forgotten side-story. This happens a lot in the book. Although there are some good plot twists in the story, they do not get their due because of this style of narration.

I also found problems with the lead character, Alyssa. She is extremely hard to like. In many notable novels, we've come across some lead characters with flaws. But, usually, there is some vulnerability to these characters that makes the readers care for them. This lacks in this book and by the time I reached the end of the book, I did not care about Alyssa or the plot and just wanted to finish the book.

Having said all, some emotions are extremely well-captured in the book and parts of the story are interesting. For example: the book explores the mother-daughter relationship from two generations, which is novel. If you’ve read “The Printer Letter bookshop”, this book definitely connects some dots and the two books when combined make a well-rounded story. The character of Jane, a recurring character from the “The Printer Letter bookshop” is well portrayed.
Furthermore, the book reinforces the benefits of living in closely knit communities and makes the reader long to stay in one.

Any takeaways from the book?

The protagonist of this book is a Software developer who builds algorithms and works in a Silicon valley startup. So, there's some info on her nature of work and the IT industry. 

Other than that, there are some takeaways and relatability if you have recently set up your own business. This book deals with a new coffee business and there’s some information on how to handle accounts. There’s also a mention of a successful restaurant business, which is nice.

As a coffee lover, I expected some info on coffee beans/machines, but there’s not much info on it. However, there’s a mention of some new coffee flavors. There are some ideas on interior décor, baking etc. It doesn’t seem like a thoroughly researched book like Sophie Kinsella’s, “I owe you one” or the “The Undomestic Goddess”, where the reader gets plethora of knowledge on setting up a local business.

Finally, if you haven’t grown up in a closely knit community, this book definitely gives an essence of it and you can experience it too.

Book Review: Padmini: The Spirited Queen of Chittor by Mridula Behari

I am reviewing this book in 2020 and there's a high chance that by now, most people in India are acquainted with this story because of the Bollywood movie, Padmavat. In my case, I'd also done some online research on this story before and after watching the movie. So, I was not too enthusiastic about reading this book.

What new could I be reading in this book was my question when I started reading it. However, right from page one, this book completely bowled me over with its beautiful and engaging narrative because the whole story is from Rani Padmini's point of view. This is a very clever idea because, had it been a third-person narrative, it wouldn't be so interesting as the story is well known.

It was a new experience reading this book because it felt as if I got the opportunity to read the diary of the most beautiful person. Interesting questions such as below were tackled in this book:

What is it to be the most beautiful person? Can you find true love despite being so beautiful? How do beautiful women tackle the hatred and jealousy of other women? Are they confident and secure? How did it feel to be the Second queen to a King? How does it feel to be blamed by the whole kingdom without any fault of yours? What are the complaints of beautiful people? And lastly, is beauty a boon or bane?

Trust me, this is not everything that's covered in the book. There's a lot more to Rani Padmini than just her physical beauty and the book justifies it. I emphasize on “beauty” in my questions because the book is about a renowned beauty and this is my tribute to her.

Through this book, we also get to know more about the history of Chittor and the values with which a Rajput is born and bred. The glories of heroes: Gora and Badal are depicted with pride. The reader will come across some never-heard-before concepts, one of them being: the segregation of women by their physical features, Jauhar, etc. References to ancient literature, poetry, scripts, and the customs of India are plenty.

Highly recommend it.

P.S: I thank my niece, Krisha Maroju for gifting me this book. I absolutely loved reading it and will always cherish this precious gift.

A tribute to Draupadi (द्रौपदी)

I recently read a book called "The Palace of Illusions" by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and it gave me a new perspective on the Mahabharat. This blog is inspired by the book:

Who is Draupadi?

   The first thing that comes to one’s mind is - She is a woman with five husbands. But this was not her choice as she was forced into this predicament. Then why did the society call her names?

  The second thing that strikes us is the manner in which she was disrobed in a court full of Kings, Ministers, and Sages whilst all her five husbands watched helplessly. Once again, why punish a woman in the most atrocious way possible? 

   The next thing that Draupadi is well known for is her revenge. Where she avenges to tie her hair only after she’s washed it with the blood of her enemy. And she achieves it at a huge cost: The Kurukshetra battle. Is the revenge of a mere Queen the only reason for one of the greatest battles of Indian History?

These three questions sum up The Mahabharat. And one cannot explain it all without mentioning Her: Draupadi, the synonym of power, confidence, revenge, pride, and love.

Some background on the Mahabharat:

   The Kingdom of Hastinapur, in northern India, was ruled by a blind King who had 100 sons called the Kauravas. The blind King was a trophy King, filling in for his dead brother, the father of 5 sons also called the Pandavas. Yudhisthir, the elder most of the Pandavas was the lawful heir to the throne of Hastinapur once he came off age. However, Duryodhan (the elder most son of the Kauravas), also claimed the throne because his father was the current ruling King. Draupadi was the wife of the Pandavas. 

Draupadi:

   Also known as Panchali, she’s an unusual woman because of her unusual birth. You see, she was not born from a mother’s womb. She was born but out of Fire along with her brother but only she held the prophecy to change the country's history.

   While growing up, Draupadi was never a stereotypical princess who was interested to sing, dance or marry her Prince charming. She was more interested in learning what her brother was taught: statesmanship, politics, and warcraft. She was not a conventional beauty either, for, she was as dark as the night. But she grew up believing that “Others perceive you the way you project yourself” and this helped her in becoming the most sought-after princess of her time.

    Her curiosity in the ways of the world brought her very close to Lord Krishna, the human avatar of God himself. Krishna found her self-belief and confidence appealing, and he couldn't stop admiring her restlessness and a never-ending longing to fulfill the prophecy. She was very fond of Krishna and their frequent encounters made her worldly-wise, mature. And she was ready to face the real world.

    Her life indeed changed with her marriage to Arjun (one of the Pandavas). One can call her marriage unusual too.  Because, when Arjun took her home to surprise his family, Kunti (his mother) who had no clue about his wedding, asked him to share anything that he had brought home with the rest of his brothers. Thus started her conflicting marital life getting unwanted attention and tarring her character forever.

   The frequent ups and downs in the lives of her husbands made her life a roller coaster ride. While she lived in huge palaces and enjoyed the privileges of being a Queen, she also dwelled in forests: cooking, serving, cleaning and taking care of her husbands. And when the infamous disrobing happened, she lost everything that she'd built over the years.

  Despite these puddles in her life, Draupadi drew strength in the form of revenge to destroy the people who've insulted her. Also, her husbands wanted their fair share of the Kingdom and this led to one of the most iconic battles in the history of India, The Kurukshetra. The battle can also be translated as the fight for dharma: the truth. At the end of an extremely crucifying battle, the Pandavas won and so did She! 

    Draupadi was destined to change history but it came with a heavy cost. She gained accolades for her strength but also lost her self-respect in the worst way a woman can ever imagine. Today, she remains in history as the woman who was disrobed in a full-court. But in reality, she's a Phoenix who rose from ashes.

Such was the life of a Queen who was born from Fire, made of Fire and breathed Fire!!

Learning about her has led me to several questions ...

• Draupadi's father prayed for an heir who would take revenge for him. And the Fire God presented him with a son and a daughter. Why then did the Father choose only the son for his revenge, though both his children had equal powers? Was she considered less serious because she was a girl child?

• After her marriage, she was supposed to spend one year each with a husband and had the "boon" to become a virgin for her next husband. Isn't this boon tailor-made for a patriarchal society? What about her feelings, memories and all the awkwardness that came with the whole arrangement?

• One of her husbands gambled her during the game of dice after he had already lost everything. How can a man who's already lost himself still own his wife and gamble her?

• History projects the war mostly as Draupadi's revenge. Was she solely responsible?? Wasn't it the greedy Kauravas who refused to share the Kingdom with Pandavas?? Or is it too easy to blame a woman for anything bad that happens anywhere in the world??

• Sita, a light-skinned, effeminate and doting wife of a monogamist is considered an ideal woman by society. On the contrary, Draupadi, an independent, unconventional and ambitious lady is not your "ideal woman"?

      

Book Review: The Printer Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay

    As the title suggests, this book is about a (local) bookshop which contains valuable letters and has a very cozy and warm atmosphere. Madeline (referred to as Aunt Maddie), the owner of the shop passes it on to her niece, also named Madeline, with whom she has a strained relationship. So, when the younger Madeline (aged around 30) inherits her aunt’s shop and her house after her aunt's demise, she realizes that she not only has to keep the struggling store running but that she also holds the responsibility of taking her aunt’s legacy forward.

     Though Madeline (a lawyer by profession) plans to sell the store, the employees of the bookstore, Janet (in her early sixties) and Claire (in her late forties) have different ideas. The bookstore is more than just a workplace to these women and they intend to keep the store running by planning events/sales for raising funds for the store. It is during this process where the trio Madeline, Janet, and Claire form an unlikely friendship irrespective of their different backgrounds, experiences and age groups. How they meander through their own complicated personal lives whilst keeping up the bookshop forms a very interesting narrative and forms the crux of the book. Also, the memories of Aunt Maddie and her relationship with the leading women are an important part of this book mainly because Aunt Maddie's character can be cherished as an epitome of positivity, generous and helping nature by all customers and the like.

    The best part of this book is its narrative style where the story is told from all the three protagonists’ points of view and the readers get to know different perspectives of the same events of the day. It can be a little confusing in the beginning but once you get the hang of it, it is quite engaging. The story is also quite relatable because the three leading characters are of different age groups and each person’s story has all the elements that a person goes through at that respective age. The bonus that book lovers get is a list of recommended books that can change their lives and create a positive impact.

The Printed Letter Bookshop changes the lives of its characters in a remarkable manner and it’ll definitely leave a lasting impact on its readers’ lives too.

Book Review: The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

In the 1930s, also called the Depression-era of America, Eleanor Roosevelt (wife of President Franklin D. Roosevelt) came up with the idea of traveling libraries for spreading education across the nation. The novel "The Giver of Stars" by "Jojo Moyes" is about the lives of five women in Kentucky who join the cause and become packhorse librarians, usually delivering books on horseback/mule. 

Initially, the citizens of Kentucky are not too trusting of this idea, but the sheer dedication and passion with which the books are delivered draw them in. As the plot goes ahead, we delve deeper into the lives of these women and why they chose this profession, while all that the other women of the village ever did was cook for their families and gossip. How the traveling library fares and the journey of these women form the crux of the book. Also, the reference to popular English classics, children’s books and poems of that time lead us to the inspiration to the title of this book.

It’s not surprising that our world started off from a place where women were only expected to cook and give birth to children. Voicing or even having opinions led to serious implications. This predicament was also faced by colored people where the discrimination extended to the absurd concept of colored libraries and restrooms. Also, the beginnings of industrial pollution and the working conditions of mines throws light on the disparity between the rich and the needy. One thing is certain, our ancestors and women went through many hardships to bring society to this privileged position.

 The true intent of any impactful historical fiction is to make its readers strive for and look forward to development. And this book achieves it by showing us how our ancestors have done it all. 

Those Unexpected Beginnings..

It was 7PM and he was in the lobby of the “Taj” hotel in Lands’ End, Mumbai. 15 mins have passed without his phone buzzing.

“Yes !!!”, he thumped, “Today has officially ended”.

Ankit Sharma had a busy day. The whole day was buzzing with calls, meetings and press conferences about a possible proposition in Mumbai. He worked as the Publicity Manager for the ruling political party. As expected, there were stupid questions thrown at him and he had to confine his retorts to his inner voice.

Tired as he was, he got up from the comfortable sofa to finally go to his room and enjoy the sea link view. The best part of his job was the

perks he got when he was traveling for work.

He was waiting for the elevator when a voice from behind said:

“Ankit Sharma! Alone on a Saturday night ?!!”

He turned around to see Priya Shankar, dazzling in a party dress. Priya was working for the opposition political party and she held the same position as Ankith.

“Is this a setup by your employers!”, came the expected reply.

“You think you are too important, don’t you?!”, she retorted with a frown.

“If I don’t consider myself important, who will?”, he said without faltering.

“Anyways, what brings you to Mumbai?”, she asked.

“Work trip, but tomorrow is a holiday and I’ve managed to extend my stay for this night. How about you?”

“Aren’t you coming from a party conference today? Rumor is that you guys are going to say yes to today’s deal.”, she said. He looked at her. She was beautiful; green always suited her. He had first seen her in Hyderabad during the swearing ceremony and she immediately made a great impression on him - the way she was handling her team, talking to people, giving them orders, checking her notebook, elegant and so much in control. “Lady Boss”, were his thoughts then.

“I can’t believe am discussing work.”, she said and he came out of reverie.

“You know, Priya, I should learn from you. The way you wheeze out answers from others but you never answer them yourself.”, he said.

“Knowing you, I don’t know if I should take that as a compliment but today, I will”, she said.

“See, you are dodging my question again.”, he smiled, “Why are you here?”, he asked.

“Why, aren’t you happy to see me?”, she said with a mock flirty voice, but then laughed at his expression. “I am meeting some friends tonight but am actually here for a wedding”.

“Wedding! How lucky! Haven’t attended one in ages”, he smiled.

“Same here, I jumped at the chance of attending one and sent an RSVP right after I checked my calendar. So, are you leaving tomorrow?”, she said.

“Yes, I am.”, he said while her phone rang. She excused herself to talk on the phone.

Standing there, he wondered, “Is she seeing someone? One would be lucky to date Lady Boss”. It was difficult to have a private life now that they were in the public eye and the last time he checked, she was rumored to be in a relationship. He wanted to ask her out several times in the past but he thought that it would be too complicated. They just started their careers and he did not want to jeopardize his position but now ….

“My friends are going to be late by 25 mins. I’ll wait here in the lobby.”, she said.

“Wow, that’s great!”, the words slipped his mouth he could stop himself.

“What?”, she said. She was taken aback. Did she hear him right?

“Yes, it’s great that they informed you, isn’t it? “, he said to cover up his slip, “Is it okay if I give you company while you wait here in the lobby? I am waiting for my keys anyways”, he said innocently.

When life gives you lemons, make lemonade.

“Okay”, she said with suspicion.

“Can we order some drinks here in the lobby? I want to order an iced tea”, she said.

“I can check that for you.”, he said, looking for a waiter.

“Not bad”, she thought. Though he was not a looker, he always dressed classy.

“Waiter, one iced tea for the lady and one coffee for me. Please make the coffee extra hot.”, he said.

“Iced tea with mint”, she said to the waiter and then remarked, “How varied are our orders!”.

“Well, I have a headache and need something hot to drink. Else, I would have ordered iced tea”, he looked at her with a pause, “with mint”, he added.

“Oh”, she said at a loss to reply. Is it possible that he was flirting?

“Anyways, it’s nice meeting you outside work. How’s life? Boyfriends?”, he asked with his fingers crossed.

“I dated a guy but we broke up a few months back.”, she replied.

“Oh, that’s bad. Am sorry”, he said, with his heart leaping with hope.

“Well, it took about 3 conferences to get over him. How about you? What’s new?”, she asked.

“Well, it’s great. Everything is fine”, he gave a short reply, wondering if she would be interested in his personal life.

“Sir, Ma’m: your order”, the waiter interrupted.

“Thank you”, they both said in unison and laughed. He added sugar to his coffee and stirred it. She was sipping her tea.

“The service is quick here, isn’t it. Anyways, where were we?”, she said.

“Nothing, you had just asked me about my life.”, he tried his luck again.

“Yes, I remember. How about personal life?”, she asked with a smile.

“Well, I was seeing someone until recently too.”, he lied.

“Looks like we are in the same boat”, she replied sympathetically.

“Yes. What’s your type?”, he asked curiously.

“Are you really asking me this? I never thought we’ll be having this kind of a conversation.”, she asked.

“Why, what’s wrong? I thought you were enjoying our conversation. Because, I am”, he replied, looking at her directly.

“WWhaaa”, came her reply, her face reddening.

“Sorry if am making you uncomfortable.”, he said smiling coyly at her.

“Is this really Ankit?”, she thought. While she was an outspoken and expressive person, he was the opposite. He limited himself to his circle of friends and sometimes she had wondered if he were in the right field of work. He was brilliant, of course, but he was seldom found in “networking” gigs.

“Yes, it’s me.”, he guessed her expression, “By the way, you look great tonight”, he added. She looked very cute at the moment and he couldn’t help but laugh at her expression.

“Thank you”, she managed, hiding a blush. Her heart was thumping, not sure why.

“I consider myself lucky today, for getting a chance of meeting you here.”, he said in a rush. If not now, never. “If you are free,”, he said when her phone ringed.

“My friends are here”, she told him, “I have to leave. You were saying something?”, she said teasingly.

“Well, if you are free tomorrow”, he started awkwardly.

“Yes?”, she teased further.

“Will you come for a coffee with me”, he finished.

She looked at him and stood up to leave. Then she turned back and smiled. “You know my number, contact me”, she replied and left.