Secure Pearls

I miss you,

Your care,

Your smile,

Your love,

Your warmth,

Your softness,

I miss you so much that ,

Series of Micropoetry-II

I

---

Frozen tears 

Every year 

Every winter 

Wait for 

Summer melt 

Summer cheer

II

----

A Rare Someone

This is the only way,

I will be,

I will not change myself,

To manipulate through ,

A cruel world.

PK hai kya?!

A child is given an environment to grow- a language, a religion, a set of norms of society. Yet what happens if a grown-up has to discover all this from the beginning?

Result is this mesmerising, kind, simple, powerful and simply out-of-the-world character called PK. He embodies humanity, uses his power to reason and stuns everyone- while also having audiences in splits with his antics!

Source

PK is 'Purely Koooooool' movie! It is hilarious, touching, saddening and sweet- all at the same time.

SANITATION AND HYGIENE BEGIN AT HOME

Over 600 million Indians defecate in the open. Lakhs of tonnes of garbage are generated each day in Indian cities, which are dumped into ever-shrinking landfills. River Ganga is revered as ‘Mother’, yet remains the most polluted river of India. Lakhs die due to toxic air and smoky chulhas each year out of respiratory ailments and suffocation. Over forty percent of Indian children under five are stunted.

So, what connects all the above gruesome facts? That Indian people as a whole, care little about the filth and degraded sanitary conditions outside of their homes. As long as the garbage is outside their homes, they do not bother. Sadly, they do not realise that all that filth will ultimately enter their own well-maintained, clean homes in the form of disease-causing germs, vectors, poor quality water and air, cutting many productive years of their own and their children’s lives.

‘Charity begins at home’. So should sanitation and hygiene habits be ingrained since childhood at home, and homes be kept clean. Yet there is a need to consider the locality, city, state, country and indeed the planet as our home. “Vasudheiva Kutumbakam”– the whole world is a family. By extension, as this family lives on Planet Earth and this is our only home, it is every human being’s responsibility to keep our living spaces clean and hygienic. Once this feeling and responsibility is heartily felt and acted upon by people, then Earth will indeed be Heaven – what with all the beneficial spill-over effects like a spiritual mind, unpolluted food and air, generation of pure thoughts and living in Harmony with Nature !

This post will first clearly demarcate reasons why sanitation and hygiene are so important for India : what are the real spin-offs in fields like health, education, productivity, innovation due to good hygiene and what are the consequences of poor hygiene. Next, it will

My Prize, My Pride

Remembering my prize- Silver Medal from Shankar's International Children's Competition! Here are photos of the (1) Cover of volume published ; (2), (3), (4) refer to my prize-winning poem and (5) my silver medal!

(1) Cover of Volume containing prize-winning entries

(2)

One World, One Humanity

  

Is there power in writing? Can writers bring social change & change the world? #Writing

 

#Writing is a passion for many in the world. In my definition of #writing, I would like to make it more broad-based as including anyone who writes on any medium: social media (including tweets), print and television (includes journalists),  bloggers, content-writers of portals/ads, writers of books/journals etc.

Yes, writers wield the power of the pen/the keyboard/the touchscreen! They influence thoughts, beliefs and indeed, life itself.

Not just self-help and inspirational books which change people's lives considerably, but every such article which reports ills and injustices in society, or every blog or tweet which appeals to do good for humanity-spreads optimism; gives ideas for a safer, better world; explains fast-paced innovations; simplifies financial jargons; exposes corruption/ills; arises people to do more for the state, nation and world and makes life simpler, definitely changes the world for the better by making people more informed, aware, sensitive.

My Definition of 'Educated Person'

Education is not merely Stacking of Degrees but also Dressing up of one's Mind and Soul.What is Your Definition Of an Educated Person.And what is your opinion about Educated Illiterates. #Education


An educated person is one who has not just internalised study concepts learnt in educational institutions. More importantly this person must have good values embedded in him/her; be an aware local, national and world citizen; do right towards other human beings; be sensitive to Mother Earth; have a habit of solving problems and doing things pro-actively than whining; practice sustainable living and also be grounded in life than simply showing off position at work, salary or degrees.

CIVIC SENSE AND ENVIRONMENT:

In today's exhibitionist world, people love to flaunt their jobs, degrees and education. Meanwhile, it is utterly shameful that these same people have no basic civic sense such as not littering the road or saying no to plastics which clog our drains. Rather, if these same people will stay in USA or Switzerland, they will not spit or litter or urinate there, but when they stay in India- LET'S DIRTY OUR COUNTRY- WE HAVE THE FREEDOM- is their mantra! Disgusting.

Treasured Assets

Why is the world so focused on physical assets- bank-balance, material-possessions, external beauty/body/cleavage...? What's the value of good thoughts, clear heart, inner beauty & values like honesty, discipline etc. today? What is important to you? #TreasuredAssets

 

I like this topic. Because it gives me a chance. To reach out to all and sundry. And to scream- DON'T FALL INTO THE MATERIALISM ABYSS! Never let anyone's dress, job, body, bank-balance or material things make you feel inferior. Coz each of us is elegant with whatever we are and have. It is paramount that we be proud of the way God made us; that we have patience, ambition and work hard in our chosen fields- not to overtake Mr.Sharma the neighbour or Mr.Tata the businessman but because we love our work so much and want to exceed limits of possibilities. Remember? In blockbuster movie 3 Idiots, Aamir says- "Work such that success chases you, & not vice versa"!

SPECIAL STRESS ON "EXTERNAL BEAUTY": 

 

Human beings are naturally given in to senses. An attractive female grabs eyeballs of everyone-male or female. The problem occurs when she is judged on the basis of that only- then none gives attention to her intelligence or talent.

Learnings

A new day,

New hopes,

New feelings,

New learnings.

Open your eyes,

From the dark,

To the light.

Look forward to the day,

With cheer-

With the abandon of a bird,

The passion of a conqueror,

The innocence of a child,

The engagement of a soldier.

Charity or Empowerment?

Charity or Empowerment? Are charitable donations to feed and house the poor really the way out of the mire of poverty or do NGOs need to focus more on skill development? Should we as donors be more proactive rather than merely donating money? #CharityorEmpowerment


NGOs (Non Governmental Organisations) are set up by very motivated and driven people, who want to bring about definite social-economic-political-ecological changes in society. As far as this thoughtful topic goes, there are four possibilities in my opinion:

(a) Charity
(b) Empowerment
(c) Empowerment through charity
(d) Charity through empowerment

(a) Charity:

Situational: This sense of 'only charity' is seen in most disaster situations, where various NGOs step in to distribute people's donations of clothes, shoes, blankets etc.. Much needed.
Charity as objective: However, there are also NGOs set up to do only charity as an organisation. In this case also, it helps the most destitute in immediate terms like NGOs taking care of leprosy patients, mentally-challenged, orphans, old widows, drug addicts or other such socially-isolated groups. Such people may not be able to be productive even if skills are taught due to inherent physical/mental/emotional weaknesses.

Kingdom's Heir

The King on a pedestal,

The Queen behind a veil,

Yet in the confines of privacy,

Where all barriers fail,

Their bodies and souls unite-

An event the Gods hail.

The Kingdom's Heir will be born,

A powerful Daughter or Son.

All will rejoice as,

People don't upon gender frown.

Either the Son will rule,

Or the Daughter shall wear the Crown!

Source

**Linking to ABC Wednesday (Letter 'K' for King, Kingdom)

Just about Finding Fanny

Finding Fanny is a movie released yesterday starring five great Indian actors. It is about a quest for Love. A quest for your Self really. A mad ride of five people in a vintage car to look for the beloved of one of them. How their lives get enmeshed deeper, how they face their long-buried tragedies after their car's petrol gets over, how they find refined versions of themselves, starting from the small village of Pokoli in Goa, can be seen from the movie. One of the five, Angie (Deepika Padukone) is the narrator and tells us not to 'find Pokoli' coz we won't even get it- it's such a small non-descript village! Still I tried using 'Google Guru'- and found it looks like name of a hispanic video game...:P...with an image like this:

Source

Well, so it IS a fictional village, yet so real as the movie portrays it! And of course, the controversy surrounding the use of the word 'fanny'. 'What's in a name?' Shakespeare said. And I say- it's artistic freedom. Glad the Court held this verdict too!

Stefanie 'Fanny' Fernandes is a girl Fernando loved 46 years ago and still loves- he's still in a time warp- seeing her exactly the same way in his thoughts and dreams.

Indian PM interacts with India's Future

PM Modi has done it again. This time he has reached a new target audience- lakhs of school students across India. He has inspired them. Such interactions are needed more often. Indeed, the PM has to be a leader, an inspirer so that our nation can surge ahead. Glad that we have a PM who fully realises this.

Source

Things that I especially liked in the interaction:

a) Sharing his notorious childhood activities. It was unexpected!

b) The Nagpur example: On full moon nights, how to connect with the heavenly environment? Simply switch off the streetlights and let the people enjoy the natural beauty of the romantic night!

c) Read. Read whatever and how much ever you can. Read even from the newspaper packet in which pakodas(hot crispy snacks made of gramflour) are served. [Sadly, nowdays they give in polluting polythenes only. He should have driven that message too- STOP USING THOSE POLYTHENE BAGS]

Halt those pearls

Source

That piercing pain,

That crashing feel,

Those clouded eyes,

And tears reel.

Tears reel,

Till an eternity,

And then a moment comes,

When they halt.

They halt,

Within the limits of eyes,

And pain gives way,

To new vigour.

New vigour,

Which sets you out to achieve,

The Impossible.

The Unlimited.

*Linking this with letter 'H' of ABC Wednesday.

Geopolitical Developments in Asia-Pacific region

Source

Asia-Pacific region is an important area for India's 'Look East'  Policy. On the one hand, India wants to engage deeply especially for trade, economics, energy, military cooperation etc. while on the other
recent geopolitical developments have made this difficult for India.

Such developments are listed below:

a) China-Japan antagonism over Senkaku islands-
This has snowballed into major controversy with China even declaring ADIZ over common airspace. Several Japanese companies have faced protest in China. India is treading cautiously both with China and Japan to keep friendly relation with both and wooing both for trade. Japan is being courted for more infrastructure investment and also for civil-nuclear engagement.

Fake

Source

Fake reality,
Fake perceptions.
Fake assurances,
Fake intentions.

                                                            Fake smiles,
                                                            Fake hope.
                                                            Fake alertness,
                                                            Fake dope.

Ebola Virus

Ebola virus is a deadly virus which has spread in West African countries like Sierra Leone, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria etc. killing almost 1000 people so far.


Effect on health:
It leads to nausea, body pain, headache, and may culminate in deadly haemorrhagic fever. As no known cure or vaccine exists for it, ebola virus has proved to be very deadly for irreversible effects on health.

Method of spread:
First it spreads from fruit bats to humans. Then, it spreads if a healthy person comes in contact with bodily fluids (blood, semen, urine etc.) of affected person. Also, evidence so far does not suggest that it is air-borne.

Why countries are worried about its spread:
a) Due to a globalised, inter-connected world, people travelling from West Africa to other countries via flights, ships etc. may pass on the virus if they have used the loos of the transport. This multiplies chances of spreading disease.

Row over UPSC CSAT

Source: India Today

An unnecessary row has broken out over CSAT. A few pointers on what I feel about it:

a) It was not introduced in 2011 in haste, rather since 2001 recommendations had been made to overhaul the system to provide level field for all backgrounds' candidates. UPSC started with overhauling Prelim in 2011, then Main in 2013. Yes what UPSC should have done is- since 2008 or so, it should have announced that from 2011 a new pattern will b introduced & given syllabus in advance- then people would have had headstart of 2 or 3 years. Then 'extra attempt' for 'sufferers' who gave attempt in 2011 could have been avoided.

b) Hindi vs Eng: Most Hindi students coming on TV say 'Eng is not problem'. Translation is problem coz software is used for this. This is unfortunate- for sch a prestigious exam couldn't UPSC ensure a team of translators to provide proper translation of big English Comprehension passages? OK now that they know, translation needs to made correct. So I don't know who advised the govt to not include easiest 8 qns of paper- some proper advise to reprint Hindi translation even for Aug 24 would have helped. Coz even now this basic thing's not been addressed.

Do the Gold!

She was practicing Table Tennis in the garage of her home. He was shooting his target to glory with his portable shooting practice kit in his hotel room- even while stealing some time away from his cousin's reception evening below. The Men's Hockey Team was sweating it out on the field, practicing hard. She was wrestling in her akhada, her sisters egging her on with better techniques to defeat the opponents. He was bettering his badminton shots at the P. Gopichand Academy under the lights. She was boxing against all odds, like there was no tomorrow, with single focus. He was weightlifting unimaginably heavy weights in a private gym, for the government never kept its promise to give him a world class gym inspite of him being a previous gold medal winner. She was vaulting with all her gymnastic grace and strength to perfect her art. He was throwing the discus again and again, struggling to better his best throw....

........And it rained that night.

Yes. It rained. It felt like their sweat was mixing with the rain water and liberating them. Giving them fresh energy. More strength to wrestle harder. To fight the Judo better. To hit every badminton shot with more force. To lift the extra 2 kgs beyond 300. To drive that hockey stick to hit more goals. To shoot to ever more perfection. To achieve the ultimate. To create history.

To do the Gold....

Creativity Uninterrupted

All these tunes,

And lines of poetry,

That come and go,

While I'm in deep sleep...

Wish they got stored,

On their own,

In a part of my brain-

So I could recall those,

Later whenever my eyes opened...!

Coz I know I'm Beethoven,

And Wordsworth at my resting best...!

Puppy Love

A funny thing happened on my way to school- a fluffy puppy came yelping and squealing to me!

I could not resist myself from picking up the cute thing and caressing it lovingly!

Sometime later, as I continued to play and jump with the sweet pup, I saw a litter of fluffy puppies coming...towards me!

They looked anxious, yet were fearless- in search of their missing brother.

#WHATTHEBLACK :: The 5 Black Things I want

1. Black God- Lord Jagannath's Grace -
Lord Jagannath, the Lord of the Universe is also called 'Kalia' - the Black One or 'Kala Thakura'- the Black God.

Source

There is an Odia prayer- 'Kalia, mo dehe bolide to deha kala...'
Translated it means- 'Oh Jagannath, please smear the black of your body onto my body...'
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aEcKf4v7g5w

I badly need Lord Jagannath's grace! Black is supreme. Black is the embodiment of all knowledge. Black is the colour of the Lord of the Universe.
I have shared my post on the Black colour of Lord Jagannath HERE.

Maa Kali is also black. I pray for her blessings too...

2. Black Colored Handloom Dress-Material/Saree -
Odisha has amazing Sambalpuri & other handloom works. Black Chanderi Sarees from MP look elegant too.

My Asus Superphone's Unique Super Power!

Dear Troopers into the Well of the House,

If you think you will quench the thirst of your eternal demands by trooping into the 'Well', let me tell you that you are doing the greatest disservice to our great Nation.

Source

You are putting crores and crores of hard-earning taxpayers' money deep into a dry well each time sessions are adjourned. Just like so many poor 3-and-above year old children have been falling into dry borewell open holes and die gruesome deaths, tax monies with life of their own to feed and care for millions, die immediate deaths due to your parochial behaviour.

There are so many Parliamentary devices for you to raise your demands and issues- short duration discussion, zero hour, calling attention motion, half-an-hour discussion, adjournment motion, censure motion and so on. Why don't you use them?

Rath Yatra Day: Celebrating on Twitter-II

Here my selected tweets' compilation on auspicious #RathYatraPuri day continues! Catch Part I here.

Source: @bikashindian 4m Twitter

#RathYatraPuri Lord wid siblings will hv yummy Pithas at His Aunt's place!He'll b pampered n showered wid love n affectn! He's so like us!:)

 

#RathYatraPuri Lord Jagannath is keenly watching the World wid his large round eyes..sinners will nvr go unpunished..His justice is Ultimate

#RathYatraPuri Car Festival,Chariot Festival or Rath Yatra is nw celebrated almost in every country of d wrld!True Globalised Lord is He!:D

Rath Yatra Day: Celebrating on Twitter-I

Rath Yatra is the Chariot Festival of the three presiding deities at Jagannath Temple, Puri, Odisha, India - Lord Jagannath, His elder brother Lord Balabhadra and His sister Goddess Subhadra.

My tweets on Rath Yatra Day today have been as below. I've almost tweeted 300 so far- so giving chosen ones in 2 posts! Enjoy reading them in a compiled form! We could make #RathYatraPuri trend in India and 'Jagannath' has been trending right throughout! :)

Courtesy: @devasissarangi

Jagannatha Swamy Nayana Patha Gaami...Bhava Tumey! Jay Jagannath! #RathYatraPuri It's d day when our beloved Lord goes on his annual outing!

 

#RathYatraPuri @DDNational has already started LIVE Telecast of majestic Raths and glorious Bada Danda of Puri! Hv U started tuning in yet?!

#RathYatraPuri Lord Jagannath with siblings Devi Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra will go on outing to His Aunt's place and give Darshan 2 all!

#RathYatraPuri Lord is so much like us! He loves goin out on his majestic chariots! B4 this on #SnanaPurnima He had bath & fell ill too! 1/2

What do you want to be?

There are only a few originators,

The rest are all copycats.

There are only a few leaders,

The rest are all followers.

Source

There are only a few ideators,

The rest are all adopters.

So what do you want to be?

When things on my table conversed!

My table was in such a mess. I had kept my jeans and t-shirt, dangling earrings, night-time reading book, newspaper, goggles, pen and notebook.

When I was not in the room, they all started talking!

Are you Ambition-fuelled?!

Living in your own shell, 

Aren't you?!

Why care what's happening in the world...?!

Creating much ado about nothing-

Those so-called 'movers and shakers', 

Aren't they?!

While you prefer enjoying,

In your own sheltered way...!

Drawn the lines,

Haven't you?!

Of what all you want?!

How does Modi inspire?

This is not possible. Unless Modi is gifted with powers to inspire (he calls himself 'Jaadugar' or magician) he cannot move a nation of 125 crore people to tears, to elation, to pure inspiration- all at the same time.

And guess what?! Such powers need not be gifted...they can be cultivated- through years of committed work, through focus, through centralising the forces of the Universe within our beings....the best of 'the power of attraction', when the Universe conspires to give us everything we really want coz we work unimaginably hard for it. Clearly, Modi's life story brims with the cultivation of his extra-ordinary powers to inspire people. Mind you- it's such unending spiritual energy that energises masses and classes alike.

In most of his interviews, I saw a statue of Swami Vivekanand behind him.

Hopes for India : 'Modi'fied

This is an unbelievable and super-decisive victory for Modi-led BJP! In my previous post I had wished for stable government, and look how decisively Indian electorate has voted! :)

This only shows how frustrated Indian electorate had been with so many years of dilly-dallying coalition politics, with minority governments running with 'outside support'. No wonder a meagre number of bills were passed, crores looted while the Prime Minister who was supposed to be the Leader of the Government, sat silent singing shayaris that tsunamis would come if he spoke! And look what his 'Khamoshi' brought about- a 'Tsu-Namo' that's swept India in saffron!

Politainment- courtesy 24*7 Media + Clever Media-Planning by political parties!

This is phenomenal. I was just watching "LIVE" coverage of Narendra Modi's cavalcade going towards party Office in Varanasi. This is mass hysteria. Very clever planning so far by the party- the 24*7 media is doing all it takes to cover this!

The smartest way to get into India's and indeed the world's every household's drawing room is to build a campaign with as much hysteria as possible so that 24*7 news channels cover it anyhow! The party is leveraging this like never before! [I seriously feel AAP was ahead in this department but sadly lost out due to its 40-days-and-over strategy!]

Z: Z marks the end of the A to Z Challenge...

Letter 'Z' is not just the last letter of the English alphabet. It also marks the end of my A to Z Challenge 2014 journey.

I have a strange mixed feeling today- I feel sad...that it's gonna be over for this year..sob sob...yet I must say I've enjoyed it to the hilt overall!

I thank @ArleeBird and his entire team! And so many thanks to each of the wonderful bloggers who read my posts and encouraged me to write more! No wonder my blog views have shot up by leaps and bounds and I am so overjoyed!!

I got a unique palindrome number too in the course of my A to Z Challenge journey: 42424!! It's only Lord Jagannath's grace that this happened while I invoked the Lord's world-famous holy, colourful and unique festivals Rath Yatra and Nabakalebar in Puri, Odisha, India! :D

Screenshot of my blog!

So here is a recap of my A to Z Challenge journey 2014! Those who missed out, may please click and discover all that I had to blog about in a very productive month for blogging- April 2014!!

Y: Yahoo!

We generally associate 'Yahoo' with the website and dot com company.

Yet do you know that there's a famous song 'Yahoooooooo' by evergreen Indian Bollywood actor of yester-years: Shammi Kapoor?!

X: X is who?!

Maths sums always had 'X had blah blah, calculate his speed or blah blah' & algebra had 'blah blah blah. Find x'. We also tend to name people we do not know as X, Y or Z!

So what's the fascination with X about?! The thing is that the X-factor about X is just this- in our thinking, anything unknown becomes 'X'!!

W: Won Sunshine Blog Award! Thanks Namrata! :)

I'm so honoured to receive my second blog award ever, the 'Sunshine Blog Award' from Namrata, my very sweet blogger friend! She has such a fabulous blog herself! :) Thanks so much Namrata for your kind consideration and showering blog love !!





I first learnt about Sunshine Award from Namrata only! So as a proud recipient of this award, I need to do the following things and so should others who receive this from me!

V: Vain

I showed the mirror on your face,

How you cringed in disgrace.

Yet you never will acknowledge it,

For you are the most vain...!

U: Under terror threat::Rath Yatra & Nabakalebar Festivals at Puri, Odisha

Terrorists have the aim of inflicting maximum damage using minimum equipment. The more the people gathered at a place, the better the target becomes to inflict maximum human casualties. Any great festival, congregation becomes a natural target.

Source

It's indeed unfortunate that our world-famous annual Rath Yatra this year (almost 10 Lakh people congregate at single place- Bada Danda of Puri) and Nabakalebar Festival (to be held in 2015 and expected to be attended by a whopping 50 Lakh Jagannath devotees as the Lord will take on a new body)

T: Tihar

Did you know all this?!

• Tihar Jail (TJ) is the largest jail complex in South Asia, located in 'Tihar village', New Delhi. 
• It is also called 'Tihar Ashram' as correctional activities aim to transform prisoners to good citizens who can join society again.
• Four of its inmates have written a book of poems called 'Tinka Tinka Tihar' which was released recently.
• It has its own TJ FM channel and RJs are creative jail inmates, some of whom have even got jobs outside after their release!
• It has its own rock band who sing and compose wonderful original songs! Watch the video here:
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aXCyVtC2idI
• Inmates make several products which are sold at various outlets of Delhi including bakery, bags, accessories, pickles, chips and lots more!

S: See the Sea

See the Sea,

Vast, huge,

Overwhelming.

Propping up the Sun,

Gobbling it too.

Guardian of islands,

Beautiful blue.

R: Rigging in Indian Elections 2014

Rigging in elections means using fraudulent practices during voting process to garner votes by any party. This has been sadly seen amply in Odisha's elections this time. Even in several other states of India also this has been seen, which puts a big question mark on the 'free and fair conduct of elections' in the world's largest democracy. And we are still half way to go for the end of elections.

A tv media channel has captured how on April 17, a group of men entered a polling booth in Aul Assembly Constituency of Kendrapara district of Odisha and forced people to cast the vote as per their order or simply they took over voting. This is a shameful activity and culprits must be nabbed and jailed immediately. To whichever political party they belong, the public should ask for answers and should never vote any party which spreads such hooliganism. Link is here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cPhW6xL2Lw&feature=youtu.be

Also recent violence in Kendrapara over a four-wheeler having many EVMs and parked outside a BDO's house was terrible. A person died and many others are seriously injured. Transferring EVMs to strong-rooms has also been done without police security, casting wide doubts over their exposure to tampering. 

Q: Queen

Source

I loved watching the Bollywood movie 'Queen' starring Kangana Ranaut as the soul of the movie. To top it all, this movie was justifiably released on International Women's Day and I watched it that day itself! The movie shows how a timid yet super-nice woman from a small place in India discovers herself and enjoys her liberation after going on her honeymoon alone to Paris and Amsterdam, as her fiance refused to marry her just the day before marriage.

P: Power

Trying to put up a facade,

Of confidence,

Of power.

Alas! It all shows through!

No use of a facade anymore,

You've been peeled!

O: Odisha voted today in its 2nd phase!

 

The beautiful state of Odisha voted today for filling up 11 Lok Sabha seats and 77 Assembly seats. Earlier, voting for 10 Lok Sabha seats and 70 Assembly seats had been completed. The Northern and Coastal districts of Odisha have voted today. News reports say that 70% voter turn-out was witnessed- quite high compared to states like Rajasthan, Karnataka etc.

I voted too from Bhubaneswar Central constituency. Felt great!

N: No Confusion

Source

No confusion,

Decide on one choice,

And pursue it doggedly.

No nonsense,

Only clear thoughts,

To propel you ahead.

M: Meenamma & Rahul's Thangabali scene!

This is my FAVORITE comedy scene from any movie ever! Whenever this comes on TV, I NEVER miss it!

So today you all must meet Meenamma (Deepika Padukone) and Rahul (Shah Rukh Khan) - two absolutely adorable characters from two contrasting sides of India who meet by fortune on 'Chennai Express'! As they flee their enemies they land up at a cosy Tamil town.

L: Loved reading this book~ Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister by Tabrik C!

Source

This is the first political thriller I’ve read in my life and this page-turner held my rapt attention till I read the very last page! Prisoner, Jailor, Prime Minister is a racy political story with many twists and turns. It is about Harvard-educated Siddhartha Tagore, who catapults into political centrestage after being spotted by ‘Lok Neta’ in New York, years after his illustrious father’s demise. Tagore is also a rare musical genius- combining the talents of Mozart and Tansen! He is the first rock-star Prime Minister of India and a true Tibet-lover with strong views against China and Pakistan. He is one whom Providence saves from an assassination attempt at his loved place- Tibet, while he was Leader of Opposition. In fact how this alongwith Lok Neta’s sudden death gets him to enter 7 RCR makes for a great political story. Tagore is a firm Constitution protector and will do anything it takes to stop the country being sabotaged by his right-wing opponents- who want a radical Constitutional change.