MellowDrama

Just a mythical creature or does it have substance and meat? Read The Legend of the Wolf by Andaleeb Wajid to get the answer and at 148 pages, this book from Speaking Tiger's cub, won't keep you waiting for long. This fact, besides the way Wajid writes are two things that definitely make this book a must read. The book belongs to the fantasy fiction genre and is a refreshing read from an Indian author who already has 15 books under her belt dealing with subjects ranging from Biryani (More than just Biryani) to a Muslim wedding (My Brother's Wedding). Well coming back to our current book, The Legend of the Wolf, is the story of three school friends- Madhu, Gaurav and Sunil who go on a school trip to Chikmagalur. Their teacher Rajesh sir and a few other classmates also are on the trip with them. But quite soon this  two day trip turns into a nightmare of sorts as the three kids find themselves being stalked by a blood-thirsty wolf. The wolf does not seem to be interested

I had been trying to bring changes for a sustainable living for a while now and using reusable cotton pads for Aunt Flo's monthly visits was an idea that appealed massively to my senses. After searching here and there I found a Kolkata based manufacturer- Shomota- who were also involving women from underprivileged background in manufacturing these pads as well as sharing the profit from sales to make these pads available to girls and women in interiors of West Bengal. BONUS point- I have also come to realise that sustainability is more efficient and worthwhile if you choose local. Also the fact that we are dumping non biodegradable waste on the planet and that is equal to some sort of violence in my head and I have been brought up on the beliefs laid by the Arya Samaj movement, I needed a better option than the mass marketed sanitary pads. I looked and examined a few option that I realised were available to me before making up my mind on the reusable cloth pad. Why I chose cloth

A collection of stories that are edgy; stories that might make you uncomfortable but nonetheless will inspire awe in you. For My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories the author has found inspiration from mythology to the common traits of the citizenry world over; the stories are as interesting as they are shocking. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories comes from the pen of the journalist turned author Ashok Banker. He is the man behind the Ramayana series which some people would say laid the  foundation stone for the country's biggest segment of fiction right now- mythological retellings.  Coming back to the book,  My Father Drank My Lover and Other Stories has 11 stories in it. The book has been published by Pan Macmillan India where these stories have been compiled for the first time (says the back cover. Also I have not come across the stories individually

Today was the first time I used the salon services of Urban Clap. My beautician was a woman named T Mondol. She was of 32 years, married with a daughter aged 16 and a 5 year old son. This is her story: I ran away from my home and married the boy I loved when I was in Class 9. At 16, married for a year, I gave birth to my daughter. I knew nothing much about anything. My husband was an only son. I had an elder brother and doting parents who fended for me. I don't know why I ran away but I did and this is a fact. Maybe, I am paying for my that mistake now. My husband works as a driver and he did not make much money. My father-in-law drives a rickshaw in Sonarpur. He, my father-in-law said, I should learn something. Just in case, his son abandoned me, he added. I asked my husband to give me some money so that I could learn this work in Gariahat. He refused saying that he would earn enough to sustain the three of us. My mother-in-law was also opposed to the idea of me stepping o

Suicides by two hugely popular public figures- Kate Spade and Anthony Bourdain- within three days of each other. One a fashion designer and business woman par excellence and another a famous cook, TV personality. There have been many others before them. Though I knew just a thing or two about them the news about Robin William's suicide was heartbreaking for me. I remember thinking how could someone who laughed so much and made people laugh, do that. While there is so much being written in the social media about mental health in light of these two suicides I was stuck by a particular post in part on Ariana Huffington's Instagram feed. It is a Repost of a tweet by editor Elaine Welteroth and says: ..... And in your death we are reminded once again that there is simply no correlation between happiness and success. How true is that! We have no idea about what makes us happy. It is easy to confuse happiness with material things, isn't it? Getting a Kate Spade bag any da

Is there a thing like pre-script? Anyway much excited to share that the author announced on Istagram that she has started the sequel to this book. The first three chapters are available on Wattpad for free. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- I finished reading My Brother's Wedding by  @andaleebwajid  a few days ago. The book is a peek into what all goes behind a Muslim wedding written from the POV of the groom's youngest sister who starts an anonymous blog to describe it. What you get on all those pages though is more than just that! . Saba is the youngest sibling among three having been largely unseen and ignored by her elder brother Zohaib and taunted and traumatised by her very beautiful sister Rabia. . The blog starts as a rant about her brother's wedding but gives a sneak peek into her life, love and interests as well. She is a college goer with not much aspiration in life.

Glitter and Gloss by Vibha Batra is funny, warm and endearing. Misha is a make up artist (whattay refreshing choice of a career for our heroine!)who is witty, hard-working and suffers (literally and figuratively both) from a huge mothering instinct. This very instinct is the cause that she ends up falling for Akshay Aggarwal a dishy, heir of a Marwari business family. Now please focus on the word Marwari. These families are largely rich, make that stinking rich- he sends her a Cavalli gown when she complains she has nothing to wear for an after work party- annnnd more importantly if you want to be expected into the fold then you need you to impress the entire community. Here we have Akshay's overprotective didi who parades Misha to ensure that she gets approved by all the aunties of the Marwari smaraajya in Mumbai. Misha's story is heartwarming because of the life that the author has managed to breathe into the character with her words. She is flawed yet endearing. Misha is e

If you have grown up in a typical north Indian household like me then you would have seen women around you wearing suits. Not just the business kinds but the three piece garment consisting of a kameez/ kurta, a dupatta and a churidar/a salwar. Getting the cloth, going to a tailor ( over and over again) and getting the material designed and stitched has always occupied a major position there because those are, like I said, the everyday clothes worn by women all around, from my mother to the house help. They are worn to the functions- birthday parties, kitties and kirtans. Bollywood even sang a song to the suit wearing girl. But there is this one occasion where there isn't a chance for the suits or for any other garment to make an appearance. These are the shaadis, the weddings, the marriages where the silks, the pochampallys, the kanjivarams, the banarsis- read the heavy guns- put in an appearance like a chief guest at some sarkari function who soon after the initial formalitie

The world that we live in today has become even more dynamic than it was till only a few years ago. There is an uncertainty in almost everything. But then us, human beings, have always come out as winners and on top of the chain by the sheer will power to sustain and by our ongoing efforts. This is what is of great importance to me- the effort. I firmly believe that those who start will finish.  It might take time and it might tax one’s faculties, but this constant pursuit, this effort making, to me is the essence of human evolution. This is the only way that we learn and carry forward. This is the only way we improve and this is the only way we excel. Not making an effort is certain death- death of dreams, ambitions and that very basic human urge to survive. -------------------- There are times when I find writings like this one in a nook or a cranny of my overstuffed, aged and blinking laptop. I am impressed at first with the force of the ideas like this one here- Not makin

Do you believe in supreme powers? Powers that govern us and all that happens around us? Do you believe that there is something that has the power to lift your spirits, make your hear soar and colour your day bright? If you do then we are on the same page. Let me tell you about something that makes me feel like a wonder woman, something that uplifts my mood as much grouchy as I might be feeling before that,  colours my day bright, makes my heart soar. You get the drift? Oh, chop chop then. Remember to be patient with me. Just yesterday my friend Ankita came over to borrow Netra's books for her son who is a year younger than Netra. Unfortunately for Ankita, she birthed another son a year and half ago. (Why unfortunate, you ask? Try staying in a room alone with one male toddler for more than 20 minutes and you will get your answer. She has two in her kitty.) So Ankita, the mother of two young boys, came and sat down. Then she heaved a sigh. This was a huge, big, I-am-soooo-rel