The Leadership Conundrum - Bijoy Joseph

Modi is upbeat and is demanding his pound of flesh from
the party by staking claim for the PM seat. Yes, he’s been
elected again with a decisive victory though not two
thirds majority this time and the media has over hyped
the case for Modi’s Delhi yathra. But our memory seem
to be short when it comes to elevating a successful CM .

Our late Jyothi Bosu ruled W.Bengal uninterupted for
nearly 23 yrs , won successive elections with huge
mandates . K Karunakaran, the leader was four time CM
of Kerala and the present Naveen Pathnaik of Odissha
is CM now for 10 yrs running . These are not small
achievements and yet was not tomtommed as deserving
national acclaim. In fact there have been very few CMs
who made it to the Prime Minister’s seat , if yes, they’ve
made only a brief stint , and were never trailblazing
or eventful . The country needs leaders who would be
wedded to that grand philosophy of unity in diversity .
Our rich religious traditions would really be a blessing
than a curse. When the western world looks to the East
for spiritual food let us truly keep the faith.

The moot point being the leadership issue this time ,
the one person who can put down the fears and bring
cheer to the masses. The mosaic of diverse cultures
and communities that is India, need to be addressed
for its varying needs. We cannot have a broad brush
treatment that will take everyone into one fold. In fact
the UPA regime has done a respectable job of taking
the inclusive agenda forward but for some recent
manoevering that has more to do with setting the
agenda straight for a global economic revival . The global
economic forces are eager to have that one plan serves
all solution, but is India ready for a uniform sweep. Coca
Cola would be the same everywhere but not people’s
race,religion,demographics including educational &
cultural requirements. Can all the hills be levelled off in
one stroke.

Our home grown leaders represent the wide spread
cultural creed that is the colour of diversity . We’ve got
adjusted to that coalition government that accomodates
rather than rejects. Let our masses be inclusive to a new
and stronger India as we face another election.

Jai Hind

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Take that bend as you coast along the highway of Life - Bijoy Joseph

I hugged her and kissed her cheeks. Had to bend down though , but
she pleasantly turned her second cheek as tears welled her eyes .
It was a show of uninhibited love . I gave her a pleasant surprise
that morning, as I dropped in unannounced and carrying no gift to
symbolize the deep yearning for each other. All alone in that big
house she’s lost in thought as we sat down recalling earlier days. My
late mother who was her favorite niece, the time when I was a baby
and she’d rocked me to sleep . Draped in the traditional white munddu
& katcha , she always looked that true Syrian Christian Valiammachy ,
a dwindling minority in the erstwhile Travancore of Kerala. The house
wore a deserted look , not quite tidied up with a feeling of isolation.
She spends most of the time alone in the house except when she goes
to church on Sundays or those rare social visits to relations around.

Yes, she was all of 91 , dwindled in size and yet full of grace . The
somber smile did convey thanks to God for this meeting of two
hearts. The long years did bear her down and grown weak. But soon
after she regained her good self and warmed a homely lunch for
me. I couldn’t help but be around her in the kitchen tasting the real
grandmother’s recipes . A helping of kerala fat rice, thoran , made
of greens from her kitchen garden, my favorite red curry fish and two
spoonfuls of spiced buttermilk . While the food was on fire we even
found time to pluck some goodies from the back yard . She used her
specially crafted long stick with a hooked end , to bend down the
branch as I reached for those lovely red berries.

It was time to catch a bus to my destination, to attend a marriage for
which I’d initially set out . But along the way I decided to make this
halt and breathe in the spirit of togetherness and tender love . Here
I ‘ve learned a great lesson in life. That there are moments along
the journey that shouldn’t be missed . That’s even more enjoyable
than reaching our destination. Savor such moments with tender care.
Memories are treasures that none can steal, so etch these indelible
moments in your mind’s eye. I wish there was a third person to
engrave in print this accidental rendezvous. And I’ll always cherish
the quality time with my grand old aunt that was the icing on the cake .
While the wedding symbolized a grand celebration of pomp and glory
that was one of this world, the stopover was certainly out of the
world. We have to just slow down and take that bend as we coast
along the highway of life. Such pauses are uplifting and vital to the
soul . We need to listen to our heart not just our head, to be giving
in to the soulful music that resonates time and again in the hearts
of people around . Not so often comes such an occasion to quietly
celebrate in peace and quiet, God’s abiding grace that transcends age
and youthfulness.

-Bijoy Joseph

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Interview With Rohit Sharma - Author of Te Amo...I Love You

Born in Amritsar, and brought up in Faridabad, Rohit Sharma is a Senior Software Engineer by profession. Working with one of the world's top MNCs, Rohit has successfully represented his organization in USA and England. Apart from being a Gold-Medalistin Engineering (Honors), and earning the title of the Hall of Fame of his college, Rohit successfully represented his college at various dancing and sketching competitions.

His debut intense romance fiction, Te Amo...I Love You began in 2009, after an extensive research on the Spanish culture, which enchanted him completely. After India, Spain is Rohit's favorite country, which can be easily attributed to his passion towards the Barcelona FC.  

In a candid conversation with Aman Jakhar, Rohit Sharma speaks about his life and experiences of journey of literature world.

Congrats Rohit, Your debut book “Te Amo… I Love You” is now approaching reader’s doorsteps. How are you feeling? Are you excited?
Honestly, I am very calm and composed. I know I should be excited, but I think the satisfaction which I am feeling, after a 3.5 year long wait, has overcome my excitement. I am happy, content, and feeling blessed by the response I am getting.

Tell us briefly about your book for our readers?
‘Te Amo… I LOVE YOU’ is a Romance-Thriller fiction. It is the story of Isabella and Aryan…story of their true love, story of their sacrifices, efforts and hope to always stay together. It is the story of honest friendships, ruthless animosity and beautiful bonding between parents and children.

When did you start writing? And, how long did it take you to complete writing the book?
I have been writing since my college days. I started writing with simple poems and songs, but I was never confident enough to share them with the public. It’s only when I started working on  my book, I gained some confidence about my writing. I started working on my book in August 2009.

What was the inspiration behind “Te Amo… I Love You? Love stories have become a favorite topic among the first time writers. What different are you going to offer to your readers?
There are two big reasons behind ‘Te Amo… I LOVE YOU’. 
1. My love for writing. 
2. My passion for Spain. I am big Barcelon FC fan, and my love for Barca eventually converted into my love for Spain. We all have some favorite countries, apart from our own motherland. Mine is Spain, and when I sat down to work on my book, I had only one thing in my mind – Spain. Rest just followed. 
Yes, Love stories have become a favorite topic of debut writers, but my novel is not a chiclit, with due respect to all chiclit writers. ‘Te Amo… I LOVE YOU’ is not my own love story. It is not a college romance. It is not a love breakup kind of a story. It is a matured love story, which tries to convey some strong messages. Moreover, it is based outside India, and highlights different cultures, makes it a lot different from other love stories. Hopefully, readers will feel the difference.

Tell us how much Rohit is smiliar to Aryan?
Those who know me have found similarities between Aryan and me. I always wanted to be a choreographer. I can sketch (a bit), and I can write. I have shown all these qualities in Aryan. And yes, to some extent, I too feel that the culture and ethics which I have shown in Aryan, matches with mine.

Are there any plans afoot to make a film out of the book?
The book has just released, and I, as a writer, have no idea about this. It will depend upon the success of my book. 

What are your promotion strategies for “Te Amo… I Love You”?
I have been promoting it for the last 6 months. I have my group and page on Facebook which is getting a good response. Apart from this, I am promoting it on other social networking sites. I am also doing offline marketing like flex-boards, leaflets, and events.

Can you share your experience with the publisher?
It is satisfying. Mahaveer publishers are very supportive and cooperative. 

Tell us in brief what kind of support you are getting from your parents, relatives and friends?
I think I am blessed to have some really good friends. They are supporting my book a lot, especially on social networking sites. My parents and relatives are happy, and supporting me in the marketing.

Apart from writing, what interests you most?
I love to read, dance, sketch, exercise, cook, drive… I am a man with many hobbies.

Are you working on your next book? Is it also based on romance?
I have finalized a script, after scrapping 6 synopses. I will start the research work from Jan 2013. Romance is an integral part of my writing, but I would love to try Crime Thiller or a Suspense Thriller.

What kind of books do you like to read? Who are your favorite authors?
Sidney Sheldon and Nicholas Sparks. I love to read Romance (not chiclits), Romance-Thrillers, Crime Thrillers and Suspense Thrillers.

Last but not least, any message or suggestions for readers of TheTeenMag?
Write good books, read good books, don’t run for quick fame, don’t run for any best seller tag, simply struggle hard to think and write a good story. Best wishes and love to all.

Thank you so much Rohit .Best wishes to you from TheTeenMag for a refulgent career ahead. May you win heart of millions of readers. 

-Aman Jakhar
(for The TeenMag)

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Hands On: Nokia Lumia 720

I have been very critical of Windows Phone 8 smartphones, especially in the high-end segment where I believe they cannot compete with Android smartphones. Despite having great hardware, Nokia’s high-end Lumia smartphones leave much to be desired especially on the OS and UI front, which are essentially Microsoft problems. However, yesterday I played with the Lumia 720, which could possibly be the first Lumia smartphone that I’d actually want to buy. Read on for my first impressions.
 
The first thing you’d notice about the Lumia 720 is how sleek it is and how good it feels in the hand. I’m a big fan of Nokia’s new design language and the premium-feel materials Nokia is using for its smartphones. The Lumia 720 feels just right and with a thickness of 9mm it doesn’t come across as too flimsy or too thick as most Lumia smartphones tend to be. The rounded edges ensure a comfortable grip and I like Nokia’s color palette too.
The Lumia 720, in my books has lots going for it. I am already sold out on its design and Nokia has managed to price it realistically and has confirmed it will be available under Rs 20,000 when it is launched in India next month. This makes it a very good value for money smartphone, especially if it delivers on all the claims that Nokia is making. Some of the biggest deal makers for the Lumia 720 could be its 2,000mAh battery that is rated to provide up to 23.4 hours of calls on 2G or 13.4 hours of calls on 3G. Or its 6.7-megapixel camera with a relatively large 1/3.6″ sensor and f/1.9 arperture, which Nokia claims would provide great low-light performance. Then there is Nokia’s Music Store and Mix Radio offerings as well as its Maps and navigation software. Not to forget 8GB of internal storage apart from a microSD card slot.
I’m willing to sacrifice the Windows Phone app ecosystem and the few UI idiosyncrasies if the Lumia 720 actually performs as claimed. For a sub-Rs 20,000 smartphone, it offers a good bang for the buck on paper. Whether it does that in reality is something we will find out in our upcoming detailed review.

Originally published by Rajat Agarwal for BGR

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Choosing a right coaching centre

Choosing a coaching centre is an important decision for all students. Before you spend money on a course, it is important to select a coaching centre that best suits your needs, time and budget. Here are three questions to ask yourself:

How far is the centre from my house?
It's important to make sure that your coaching centre is close to your home. Most coaching centres have multiple branches to ensure that students do not have to travel much to reach.

How qualified is the faculty?
The most important thing for you is to find out whether the faculty of the coaching class is good for you. So get to know about the faculty from the current and previous batches.

Tip: See if you can go for a demo lectures or get feedback from previous batches.

Is the study material easy to understand?
Every coaching institute or tuition class will provide you with basic study material. You need to decide if it is easy to understand. The type of study material will help you to judge the centre’s abilities.

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Ranbir Kapoor: My chemistry, physics and biology with Deepika Padukone are sizzling!

While you wonder if the old flames between B-town’s ex-lovers Ranbir Kapoor and Deepika Padukone will reignite with their forthcoming movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Ranbir’s statement adds to your ever-growing curiosity

After looking absolutely delicious together in Siddharth Anand’s 2008 production Bachna Ae Haseeno, B-town’s famous ex-love birdies will be seen in Ayan Mukerji’s forthcoming romantic movie Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. So we asked Ranbir and Deepika how the experience of working together after more than four years was, considering that their equation has gone through a sea change since Bachna Ae Haseeno? “Oh there was no awkwardness at all. It is hard not to fall in love with Deepika. She is so lovely, hard working and passionate about her job. My chemistry, physics and biology with Deepika Padukone are sizzling in the film,” said Ranbir at the trailer launch of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.
Dippy too maintained that she loved working with the Barfi! star once again and learned a lot from him. “Ranbir is a talent. He can do something I don’t know if I can do. He stays calm even if the scene is very intense and difficult to shoot. He stays cool and never over prepares. He is quite spontaneous and working with talent like him was fun and a big learning experience, as always,” said Dippy.
We hope that the two stars sizzle yet again on the big screen. Do you think Ranbir-Deepika still make a hot pair?

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Book Review : When The Signal Turns Red - Jayanand Ukey

 

About the Book: When the Signal Turns Red

Girish and Prajakta are in love. Very soon Girish will be joining the numero uno IT company of the country. He prepares himself by buying expensive clothes and other accessories he had always dreamed of. He and Prajakta have together planned to build on a good bank balance and then meet each others families to talk about marriage, probably after a year or two. Unexpectedly, the families get involved before Girish can join the IT company. Against all odds, the couple manages to convince their family and an engagement date is fixed. But destiny has other things in mind. A global catastrophe mars their plan which leads to the engagement getting annulled.

Will Girish find a way out of his predicament? Will he ultimately win Prajakta's hand or will he move on in life, learning to live without her?

 

About the Author: Jayanand Ukey

Jayanand Ukey works for an IT company and is also a freelance journalist and blogger. He has a computer engineering degree from VESIT, Mumbai University. In a career spanning a decade, he has kept his hobby alive by writing three books. This book is his first published work. Jayanand lives in Mumbai with his family.

Blurb:
 

A global ordeal
A couple in distress
The struggle to keep afloat
Prudent thinking in tumultuous times

 

Entry:

“A global ordeal, a couple in distress, a struggle to keep afloat, prudent thinking in tumultuous times”… well, that’s how the author begins the blurb at the back.

The plot revolves around Girish and Prajakta, who are in love and just out of college. Both of them have got placed in big IT companies and are looking to settle into their jobs before breaking the news to their parents. However, the parents come to know of their relationship somehow and both of them have to think on their feet to make the parents meet and convince them to agree to their marriage. When their life seems back on track, fate intervenes and they’re split. The story afterward looks at their struggle to make their love a success.

 
Review: 

The cover of the book gives a fairly good idea about the theme of the book. A couple along with an old man shows the book is about a couple in love and somehow the story is linked to his/her father. It is simple and to the point, which is good.

 

Girish, a 22 year old who has completed his graduation, is about to join a leading IT company, DCL. He is in love with his college mate, Prajakta, and they wish to get married after working for some years, but, the girl’s parents find out about Girish and the families fix their engagement. However, their plans are in turmoil as both have lost their jobs, owing to the recession and the Prajakta’s father breaks off the engagement.

It is quite a short story, with just 198 pages expressed in simple words, and thus, a person who is really fast at reading might finish reading the book in ninety minutes. However, speed being my inherent limitation, I took me two days to complete the book. I liked it how this was so unlike the other Indian love stories in Indian films, with both the lovers actually being qualified and their parents actually agreeing to their choice without much discussion. The plot was simple and straight forward, without many digressions or sub-plots and the characteristics of the two families were brought out well. Moreover, I liked how the author chose the financial crisis as the background and with the author himself being in the IT sector, he is someone who’d understand it best, the loss of jobs in the IT sector which started in 2008. My favourite part about the whole thing was that I was promised a light read, and it was delivered, with precision.

The book is about two freshly-out-of-the-college couples, Girish and Prajakta. Both are placed into the top IT companies and are now planning to take their college love to the next level. Now that they had their jobs in their hand, they plan to talk to their families about their love. But something unexpected happens, and their parents come to know about their hidden love. Against all odds, the parents agrees to get their children engaged, one week after their joining date of their job. However, just a week before, job offers of both, Girish and Prajakta are withdrawn due to the on-going economic recession. And subsequently, the engagement is called off.How the male protagonist leads the story to an happy ending by getting married to his love, is what this story is all about. 
Final Verdict: 
You would not feel bored, but you can't expect a mind-blowing time. Read it if you're looking for a short read and don't want to spend your time too much. A light read, perfect for reading if you have to travel for an hour or two. Nothing too complicated to understand in language and plotting.

Book details:

Title: When the Signal turns Red

Author: Jayanand Ukey

ISBN: 978-81-8046-085-2

Genre: Romance/Love

Publishers: Alchemy

Price: Rs. 175

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